Criminal Justice and Corrections: What's the difference?

Hey everyone! I'm thinking of majoring in criminal justice but I've also heard about corrections as a potential major. Can somebody explain the differences between these two majors or how they're related?

Hi there! Both criminal justice and corrections are related fields, but they differ in scope and focus. To help you understand the distinctions, I'll briefly elaborate on each major.

Criminal Justice: This major offers a broad perspective on the various components of the criminal justice system, such as law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Studying criminal justice provides you with a comprehensive understanding of how the system operates, from the initial interaction with the alleged offender to the trial and subsequent rehabilitation process. Coursework may include topics on policing, criminal law, criminology, forensic science, and ethics. Upon graduating, students with a criminal justice degree may pursue careers in areas like law enforcement, private security, forensics, and probation.

Corrections: On the other hand, corrections is a more specialized field within the criminal justice system, primarily focusing on the management and treatment of criminal offenders post-conviction. This major delves into the intricacies of correctional institutions, such as prisons and jails, as well as rehabilitation programs and offender reintegration into society. Courses in a corrections major may cover subjects like correctional facility administration, inmate behavior, probation and parole, and restorative justice. Graduates in this field typically find employment within prisons, jails, probation agencies, and community-based correctional programs.

While both majors share some similarities, choosing between them largely depends on your specific interests and career goals. If you have a broader interest in the entire criminal justice system and want to explore various aspects of it, a criminal justice major would be more appropriate. However, if you are particularly passionate about the management and rehabilitation of offenders, corrections might be a better fit for you. Some universities do offer both majors, so you could even consider double majoring or minoring in one field while majoring in the other should you want an in-depth understanding of both areas.