Available Formats
Exploring and Understanding Careers in Criminal Justice: A Comprehensive Guide
By (Author) Matthew J. Sheridan
By (author) Raymond R. Rainville
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
21st January 2016
United States
General
Non Fiction
Crime and criminology
Criminal law: procedure and offences
364.023
Hardback
312
Width 159mm, Height 233mm, Spine 21mm
535g
Criminal justice careers typically fall into one of two categories: law enforcement or legal. But contrary to what many may know about the career opportunities in criminal justice, it is more than just becoming a cop or a lawyer. In Exploring and Understanding Careers and Opportunities in Criminal Justice, Matthew J. Sheridan and Raymond R. Rainville provide a practical, comprehensive guide that easily explains the extensive operations and the scope of employment possibilities and opportunities in the criminal justice profession. They cover many criminal justice functions and career paths that are seldom discussed when preparing for a career in criminal justice. Rainville and Sheridan focus on how to obtain employment in a career field that fits personal strengths and aspirations and emphasize the value of internships and service learning as tools to obtain the desired position.
A career in criminal justice is a process of many potential outcomes. The career professional who plans, continues personal development, and prepares their career path will discover many potential rewards that include satisfaction during and after their career. The field of criminal justice will continue to expand and grow. Legislative mandates will promote new policies and employment opportunities to keep pace with changes and improvements in criminal justice practices to meet needs that enable the career professional to protect and serve. As the title suggests, anyone interested in exploring and understanding the field of criminal justice and the opportunities it can provide needs to read this book. Sheridan and Rainville make it known that there are more options in the field of criminal justice than you thought, and that the process for obtaining employment and developing the career path you desire most can be done!
Sheridan and Rainville use their extensive experience (over 30 years each) to write an exceptional work on careers within criminal justice. Five chapters provide invaluable information on choosing a career in federal, state, or local law enforcement, corrections, or courts. Three additional chapters cover getting the job, maintaining professional ethics, and life after one's career ends. The chapter on law enforcement, for example, has subsections on job postings, applications and portfolios, education, job references, interviewing, test taking, academy training, job benefits, multiculturalism on the job, and other useful information. Sixteen appendixes cover a multitude of topics, including successful job hunting, a guide to interview questions, criminal justice ethics, a document portfolio checklist, and paying for college. One appendix even offers profiles of 16 career employeesactual people holding jobs in criminal justice fields as diverse as parole officer or correctional architect. Notes, bibliography, recommended readings, and two indexes provide additional orientation to readers. An excellent source for students, faculty, and advisors, this volume offers much more than comparable works that deal merely with getting a job. Instead, the authors tell how to build a successful criminal justice career that one will love, from first employment to retirement.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
Matthew J. Sheridan, EdD, has more than 35 years of experience with the New Jersey Departments of Corrections, Human Services, and Law and Public Safety. He currently teaches Criminal Justice at Georgian Court University and is the director of the Internship Program. He has more than 20 years of experience teaching Corrections, Criminology, and Criminal Justice.
Raymond R. Rainville, PhD, is currently Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice at St. Peters University. He retired from probation services after 33 years. Rainville combines his professional experience with his duties at the university to guide students to select appropriate majors that meet with their personal goals; guiding them through the job selection and application process.