3 answers
Jasmine
Student
Merced, California
3
Questions
Asked
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What would be some struggles I will face while studying for criminal justice?
I want to know what would be complicated and/or any problem someone could go through in that.
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3 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1750
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Jasmine,
People who work in criminal justice must be able to stay calm under pressure and think fast on their feet. Some of the classes/training will involve situations to test your ability to do exactly that. Bad people don't have to play by the rules, and, in training, they will use whatever weakness you have to try to get you to "crack."
As an example, let's say you have a mole on your forehead and if you look at it a certain way it could look like a dog. A subject could notice that and start calling you "officer dog-face."
Or, perhaps a subject could try to tell you their whole life story, and draw you into it, distracting you from doing what you set out to do (such as write a simple traffic ticket).
They do all of this to both see how you will react, and, more importantly, to help you develop self-confidence. No one is trying to humiliate you. You will need to be able to roll with it, take it in the manner in which it was intended, and not let it get to you.
Hope this helps!
Kim
People who work in criminal justice must be able to stay calm under pressure and think fast on their feet. Some of the classes/training will involve situations to test your ability to do exactly that. Bad people don't have to play by the rules, and, in training, they will use whatever weakness you have to try to get you to "crack."
As an example, let's say you have a mole on your forehead and if you look at it a certain way it could look like a dog. A subject could notice that and start calling you "officer dog-face."
Or, perhaps a subject could try to tell you their whole life story, and draw you into it, distracting you from doing what you set out to do (such as write a simple traffic ticket).
They do all of this to both see how you will react, and, more importantly, to help you develop self-confidence. No one is trying to humiliate you. You will need to be able to roll with it, take it in the manner in which it was intended, and not let it get to you.
Hope this helps!
Kim
Frank Filippelli - CFE
Insurance Investigations
6
Answers
Santa Clarita, California
Updated
Frank’s Answer
Some of the struggles you may encounter while studying for criminal justice may involve the subject matter itself. Some of the courses you may be taking could be a little dry while discussing various violations, how the laws evolved and definitions. There are case studies which could be detailed and take a while to comprehend. Learning about the various data bases, ways to document investigations and report writing are all parts of criminal justice, and some people are more suited to the actual street police work and have some difficulty with the other aspects associated with criminal work. I suggest that you attempt to find a mentor to help you deal with any and all law enforcement aspects, prior to taking a particular criminal justice course, so you know what to expect. Good luck.
David Deshaies
Police Officer
17
Answers
Sanford, North Carolina
Updated
David’s Answer
Most of my criminal justice courses were more theoretical rather than practical. Finding a school that has a good mix of both classes will be critical. One of the issues with college education in the United States is our "jack-of-all-trades" mentality. European universities tend to have students spend almost all of their higher education focusing exclusively on their subject matter, where US universities spend about half their time on generic "general education" courses and half their time on the subject matter. Both strategies have their strengths, but I wanted to almost exclusively study what I signed up for as most of high school was "general education."
You may have issues with friends you have now. Some of your friends may be conditioned to hate the criminal justice system and anyone who participates in it; it's possible these "friends" may longer be friends with you after you pursue this career path.
You may have issues with friends you have now. Some of your friends may be conditioned to hate the criminal justice system and anyone who participates in it; it's possible these "friends" may longer be friends with you after you pursue this career path.