"Rarely does a week go by that a major crime-related issue doesn't hit
the media," says criminologist John Vivian. "When you work in the system,
you are in a position to know about those issues. It makes it interesting."
Vivian is the administrator of research and development for the Arizona
Department of Juvenile Corrections. He is responsible for developing budgets,
assigning and scheduling projects, communicating with other research organizations
and groups and supervising staff.
"But most importantly, I do research projects myself," he says.
He is currently working on a project that will estimate how many youth
will be incarcerated in Arizona in the future. He analyzes historical data
to come up with future projections. "These findings allow us to plan for future
programs and policies," he says.
Vivian enjoys research that has a direct influence upon policies in the
state. "It's not a matter of doing research, writing a report and then having
it sit on a shelf."
Good computer skills and writing skills are important. Learning about government
and how it operates is helpful, too.
"You won't get rich doing this work, but you can have a social impact,"
says Vivian.
Michael G. Yeager has been a criminologist for 25 years. His interest in
criminology developed while he was on the debate team in high school. His
crime-related debates led him to study criminology in university. He now has
a master's degree in criminal justice.
In his private practice, Yeager specializes in sentencing and parole. He
works with every type of offender -- juvenile, adult, male, female, violent
and non-violent. "I have testified before numerous courts on sentencing matters,"
he says.
Typical office hours are 9 to 5, but that could differ when he is out in
the field. There can be a lot of travel when working on a specific case.
Criminologists need to be well rounded, Yeager says. "Have a broad grounding
in the arts and social sciences," he says.
Les Smith is the criminal justice manager for a county administrator's
office in Fort Worth, Texas. He has a master's degree in criminology and criminal
justice, and a bachelor of science in criminal justice administration.
Smith's career includes 20 years in police work and police administration,
followed by 10 years in the criminal justice research and planning area. Smith
believes that receiving his master's degree was a significant point in his
career. "Many doors opened for me then," he says.
Smith is responsible for the coordination of the county's criminal justice
system. He provides research data, analysis and plans for program development,
personnel management and criminal justice issues.
Smith enjoys working with all "practitioners" in the justice system --
including police, prosecutors, the courts and the community. However, building
consensus among these groups can be stressful.
"There are many job opportunities in the criminal justice field and they
are not all police related," says Smith. "It seems students are fixated on
the 'cops and robbers' syndrome because of TV."
Lorie Fridell is the director of research with the Police Executive Research
Forum (PERF) in Washington, D.C. PERF conducts research that is useful to
police agencies.
Fridell has an undergraduate degree in psychology, and a master's and PhD
in social ecology. An academic advisor led her towards law enforcement and
research. "I did internships at a juvenile hall and at a forensic psychiatric
ward," she says. "It piqued my interest."
Fridell and her team research topics like racial profiling, use of force,
officer stress and effective management practices. "I like interacting with
practitioners and I enjoy doing research that will have an impact on policy
and practice."
On any given day, Fridell might develop a survey, travel to a research
site and conduct interviews, hold focus groups with practitioners or write
a research report.
"And, of course, there is a great deal of administrative work in this management
position," she says. "And I feel pressure to make sure that the research we
do and the products we produce are useful and relevant."
Fridell advises anyone interested in a career in criminology to do volunteer
work or internships that expose them to the criminal justice system. It's
also useful to work with residents of your community who are at high risk
of committing crimes or who have been victims of crimes. "The theme is to
get exposure and learn," she says.