What are Some Good Internships for Criminal Justice Majors?

Updated December 5, 2022 · 2 Min Read

Criminal justice represents a broad field of potential career interests. With the ongoing expansion of our population and the increasing trend of globalization, all of them show every sign of continuing to expand. In addition, the digital world opens up new avenues of legal, justice, and law enforcement career paths and one of the best ...

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Criminal justice represents a broad field of potential career interests. With the ongoing expansion of our population and the increasing trend of globalization, all of them show every sign of continuing to expand. In addition, the digital world opens up new avenues of legal, justice, and law enforcement career paths and one of the best ways to get in on the career option of your choice is to pursue a high-quality internship. The best internships are ones which will allow you to learn the tricks of the trade, how a particular department, organization, or government agency functions, how its various professionals discharge their responsibilities, and how the wheels of American justice turn.

What are some of the best internships available to criminal justice majors today?

Victim's Advocacy

One of the best all-around internship opportunities available and one of the most popular is that of victim's advocacy. Advocates for victims can find employment, both as interns and beyond, in a surprising range of organizations (including government organizations and agencies, nonprofit organizations, and major international corporations). Advocacy makes sense for a wide range of majors, and is also popular among individuals pursuing executive or administrative careers, making it a strong supporting option for leadership skills. It helps to build a perspective on how people who have been victimized feel, particularly in the case of victims who feel like those who have wronged them are untouchable (due to wealth, political influence, or other factors).

Related resource: Top 10 Cheap Online Master's in Criminal Justice - Corrections Degree Programs

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Community Liaison

If your career aspirations extend to traditional law enforcement, one of the best internship opportunities for you would be working as a community liaison. This is a type of work which helps a person to gain an understanding of how different groups of people react to and interact with, law enforcement representatives. It also applies to the public perception of different law enforcement agencies in general. A community liaison can help to engender trust and understanding between law enforcement personnel, and the civilian populations they are sworn to protect.

Research Analyst

Many government agencies employ psychologists and other mental health professionals. These individuals work to develop criminal profiles, but they also research more broadly defined patterns of human behavior. Many such professionals are involved in specialties relating to abnormal developmental or behavioral psychology. As an intern, you will learn more about the ways psychological behavior is analyzed and profiled professionally, and how different types of behavior develop in response to both natural and environmental factors.

Cybersecurity

Unquestionably, this represents the latest frontier in criminal investigations, legal practice, and behavioral analysis. Cybersecurity remains a broadly defined and hugely profitable industry in itself. There are widely-respected cyber security experts with a broadly defined knowledge base, and a surprising range of specialists who focus on such areas of import as end-to-end encryption, security algorithms, and international counter-espionage. As an intern, you will learn about the latest digital technology, and you may be able to participate in wide-reaching educational campaigns, to help the average internet user understand the importance of keeping their personal information secure.

Always investigate your internship options carefully. A reputable internship is important, and a great mark on your career profile, but in a field as broad and widely applicable as criminal justice, it makes sense to limit yourself to options which correspond to your intended career path or area of professional specialization.

Related: Best Value Schools - Getting a Paid Internship

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