The California Supreme Court
CSUB’s Criminal Justice Department offers course work for individuals who are interested in understanding the causes, responses, and impact of crime on communities. Students learn about the criminal justice system’s place in society, its development through time, and the role of society’s views towards crime and punishment and how it shapes the system’s actions, values, philosophies, and resources. Specific studies include course work addressing the network of formal institutions and processes such as law enforcement, juvenile and adult courts, as well as corrections. Criminal Justice majors leave CSUB grounded in the intricacies of the U.S. justice system network, the theories underlying criminal behavior, and the research methodologies used to develop and test such hypotheses. Additionally, majors and non-majors have the opportunity to take elective courses on ethics, drugs, prisoners’ and victims’ rights, as well as classes addressing race and gender issues involving crime and prosecution.
Career Outlook and Training
This country’s growth and progression has also meant an expansion in the criminal justice system. During the past few decades, the system has been absorbing an increasingly larger portion of local, state, and federal resources. In California, corrections has become a primary growth industry.
Job opportunities continue to expand in a range of corrections-related areas such as prison construction, management and security, facility administration, prisoner education and health services, drug testing, and community supervision of offenders released from jail and prison. Law enforcement agencies and courts are trying new approaches to increase their capacities to meet the needs of their communities. Agency efforts include community policing, alternative courts such as drug and teen courts, and electronic monitoring. These developments make Criminal Justice a dynamic career field offering mobility, advancement, and personal satisfaction.
The CSUB faculty ensure Criminal Justice majors acquire the communication, writing, and critical thinking skills employers in the criminal justice field consider essential for both entry-level and management positions. The Criminal Justice major also serves as appropriate preparation for law school, public administration, social work, and social science research.
Internships
CSUB’s Criminal Justice Department maintains a close liaison with a variety of government and private agencies, and valuable career-enhancing experience is available. Internship placements are currently available with the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s and Probation Departments, District Attorney’s Office, Child Protective Services, California Department of Corrections and Youth Authority, Alliance Against Family Violence, and several private law firms. Declared majors with junior status and a minimum 2.5 GPA are eligible. Contact Dr. Robert Fong, Professor, at 661-654-2434.
