What do you do all day in this occupation with criminal justice?

Answer 1

In the US, the criminal justice system includes hundreds of jobs and professions at all levels. The 'system' starts with laws enacted by governing bodies. Enforcing those laws, protecting citizens from criminals and ensuring public safety (fire, emergency medical, roads, buildings, etc.) incorporates dozens of agencies, at local, state, and federal levels. Each of those agencies employ a wide variety of workers.

The criminal justice system begins with a police force to enforce laws enacted, investigate crimes, collect evidence, apprehend law breakers and criminals, and to provide appropriate information and evidence to a prosecuting agency to process a person accused of a crime through the court system. A police force may also be required to protect victims and witnesses.

A prosecuting agency takes a case through a series of steps outlined by laws that include a decision process (pleadings, hearings, trials, etc.) to officially determine the guilt or innocence of an accused, to determine a sentence for those found guilty, arranging for a sentence to be followed through. When the determination is incarceration, the guilty person is turned over to the appropriate incarceration facility.

Incarceration facilities include jails, or local, state, and federal prisons. These facilities are charged with housing those people sentenced to their facility for the period of the persons sentence. Convicted persons may complete their sentence or released before the end of their sentence on some form of provisional parole. At this point, those still serving their sentences on parole are monitored by an agency to ensure that the provisions of parole are followed, and arrange re-incarceration for those people who do not obey their provisions.

The most obvious occupations through all these steps in the criminal justice system are police officers, investigators, technical and scientific experts, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, correction and parole officers. But there are also hundreds of 'Behind the Scenes' occupations such as building and equipment maintenance, clerical and administration, and ongoing training.