A Career in Criminal Justice Helps Fight Drug Abuse

Learn about these top criminal justice careers where your knowledge of drug and alcohol abuse come into play.

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There are careers in criminal justice that require knowledge and understanding of drug abuse in society.

A survey of inmates in state prison found that 57 percent of prisoners reported using drugs or alcohol in the month leading up to their conviction, and another 33 percent reported that they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they committed their crimes.

Here are the top criminal justice careers that work against substance abuse:

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1. Police Officer Careers

Police officers are on the front lines of drug law enforcement. They see drug transactions while they're on the beat and they stake out crack houses. One way in which police fight drug use is by actually raiding drug houses. When police raid a known drug house, not only do they arrest drug dealers, they also keep the confiscated drugs off the street and may collect illegal firearms. The work that police officers do is an important part of drug prevention.

2. Corrections Careers

The U.S. prison population has exploded, and the growth is highest for drug offenders. Between 1980 and 1996, the prison population increased 227 percent, from 503,586 to 1,646,020. During the same time frame, the number of prisoners with drug offenses increased ninefold.

What's more, drug use continues in prison. In one study, 28 percent of people released from prison tested positive for drugs. Corrections officers and other careers in criminal justice fight this problem with cell searches, drug testing, scanning visitors with drug detection equipment and urinalysis drug testing.** While drug use continues to be a problem for corrections officers, there are drug treatment programs throughout the correctional system that address abuse among inmates.

3. Parole and Probation Careers

The courts often mandate drug treatment as a condition of parole or probation, and many parolees and probationers must comply with a drug- and alcohol-free directive.

Many people believe that these programs are effective in reducing drug use and the chance that a criminal will re-offend, especially if they are intensive, structured and backed up by penalties for non-compliance. But for drug treatment programs to be effective, parole and probation officers must be able to monitor compliance and impose sanctions. The testing and sanctions model has a lot of potential for success.

If one of these careers in criminal justice appeals to you, get the best education you can to ensure success. Search our directory of top criminal justice programs to find the school that's right for you.

_{Sources:
*Crime: Public Policies for Crime Control, eds. James Wilson and Joan Petersilia, 2002
**Reducing Drug Use in Prisons: Pennsylvania's Approach by Thomas E. Feucht and Andrew Keyser, www.cjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000241c.pdf}