I feel very comfortable with the level of knowledge I have about proper police procedure. I feel confident that I not only understand basic procedural rules, but also the justification or reasoning behind those rules. Furthermore, I feel as if my understanding of the basis for these various procedural rules will help me easily grasp any additional procedural rules that I will encounter on the job.
While I do feel as if I have had a strong educational background, there are two areas where I feel as I could benefit from more education: psychology and human services. The more I study the psychology of criminals and victims, the more I realize I do not know about why perpetrators do things. I understand that people who align with certain profiles may be more likely to commit crimes, but I am still very curious about why those characteristics make one more likely to commit certain crimes. For example, I understand that hate crimes are most likely to be committed by young, white, males, and I wonder about the psychology that makes young men more likely to commit those crimes. Is it because older people are more tolerant? Is it because young people are simply generally more likely to engage in criminal behavior than older people? I would like to know the answers to those questions. I am equally curious about victimology. There are certain people who are at higher risk of being victimized than other people, and I am curious about what makes these people susceptible to crime (Stevens, 2003). I even question whether society should divert resources away from crime detection and criminal-based crime prevention and focus greater resources on victim-based crime prevention. For example, would it be a better use of public resources to send a spousal abuser to a battering intervention and prevention program or to send an abused...
What resources are out there to help prevent initial crimes, reduce recidivism, and reduce re-victimization rates, and how can I help direct people to those resources?
I have very specific goals for my career in criminal justice. My short-term goals (within 6 months) are to finish my associate's degree and obtain an entry-level criminal justice position. My mid-term goal (within 3 years) is to finish up the hours required for a bachelor's degree, while advancing my career. Initially, I believed that I would enter the police academy. However, as I have found myself drawn to the areas of psychology and human services, I believe that I will focus my career efforts in these areas. I hope to begin with a job in victim services and use what I learn there to shape my career trajectory. In that position, I intend to: inform victims of their rights, help them file for Crime Victims' Compensation, provide referrals to social service providers, help advocate for community awareness, and advocate on behalf of victims (City of Houston, 2013). However, I do not have all of the details about how I am going to achieve my career goals. My ambiguity is intentional; I want to see how I feel about working in victim's services before deciding that my career path will remain in that area.
References
City of Houston. (2013). Victim services unit. Retrieved February 6, 2013 from Houston Police
Department website: http://www.houstontx.gov/police/vsu/
Stevens, M. (2003, June 18). Victimology theory. Retrieved February 6, 2013 from North
Carolina Wesleyan College website:
http://faculty.ncwc.edu/mstevens/300/300lecturenote01.htm
