Correctional and Juvenile Justice Studies
Career Options
What can you do with a degree in correctional and juvenile justice studies?
The answer is "a lot more than you might think."
View video clips of EKU alumni and professionals talking about their careers
View a sampling of career options available to CJJS majors
Corrections and juvenile justice are two of the fastest growing areas for professional careers. The reasons are simple:
- There are presently more adults and juveniles under correctional supervision than at any time in U. S. history.
- Strong efforts are underway to professionalize these fields, which includes requirements for educational credentials.
In addition to giving you a solid basis for more advanced degrees in law and a variety of disciplines, a degree in correctional and juvenile justice studies prepares you for a wide range of careers in the public and private sectors. There are careers in both institutional/residential and community-based settings working with either adults or juveniles. Some examples of positions held by our graduates across the nation are:
- probation/parole officer
- correctional officer
- juvenile/youth care worker
- correctional caseworker and counselor
- correctional trainer
- industrial specialist
- educational or vocational specialist
- recreation specialist
- substance abuse specialist
- police officer
- court intake worker
- victim advocate
- chaplain
- assessment/classification specialist
- research analyst
- administrator
Our graduates work in the private and public sectors at all levels and branches of government. Some examples of settings include:
- adult and juvenile courts
- juvenile residential facilities and adult correctional institutions
- prosecutorial offices
- victim assistance programs
- law enforcement agencies
- community service and restitution programs
- juvenile and adult diversion programs
- adult halfway houses and juvenile group homes
- juvenile detention facilities and adult jails
- correctional bootcamps
- day reporting centers
- domestic violence and runaway shelters
- schools
- substance abuse programs
- juvenile and adult probation agencies
- adult parole and juvenile aftercare agencies
- private correctional programs
- research centers
- training agencies
Examples of specific agencies in which our graduates work include:
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- US Administrative Office of the Courts - Federal Probation
- Kentucky Department of Corrections
- Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice
- Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts
- Fayette County Detention Center
