by: Robert Jestic

The U.S. Department of Labor forecasts that opportunities in the criminal justice field will be excellent in the near future. But, what careers are actually included under the umbrella of the criminal justice field and what opportunities exist? The field of criminal justice can be divided into two basic areas of opportunity: public sector and private sector opportunities.

The public sector includes federal, state and local government agencies that are involved in criminal justice and law enforcement. At the federal level, there are numerous federal government agencies that employ criminal investigators. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, U.S. Marshal Service and U.S. Border Patrol are some examples of federal law enforcement agencies. All state governments also have law enforcement agencies, such as state police departments and state bureaus of investigation. Finally, the local level includes municipal police departments and investigative agencies. City, town and village police departments always provide criminal justice employment.

A myriad of criminal justice opportunities have also eme