Job desirability among criminal justice majors: Exploring relationships between personal characteristics and occupational attractiveness

Abstract

This paper examines the attractiveness of selected criminal justice (CJ)-related occupations among a purposive/convenience sample of students in the northeastern United States (N = 633). In a self-administered questionnaire, students rated the overall attractiveness of ten CJ-related occupations. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compare means across gender, major, year in college (grade level), punitiveness levels, and other variables. Major, grade level, gender, attitudes of punitiveness, and ideology were associated with occupational attractiveness among the sample, particularly among law enforcement-related occupations. CJ majors were found to view law enforcement-related occupations as highly attractive and more attractive than a variety of corrections-related occupations. Students who rated law enforcement careers as attractive also reported higher levels of punitiveness. The pedagogical and advisement-related implications of the findings are discussed.

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