When you start your career in criminal justice, you will be joining a group of professionals, who will expect you to use the same vocabulary and know the major researchers and the best practitioners in the field. You can acquire this knowledge not only by taking classes and reading books and articles but also by exploring professional associations.
Some students join professional associations while still in school in order to be able to attend the conferences at a reduced rate as well as to build some connections to get their first job in a chosen profession. On their websites the associations post information about their history, mission, membership, upcoming conferences; they provide links to the reports, statistics and other publications in full-text. Sometimes, when you join an association you will get a free subscription to their journal and will be able to keep abreast with the latest developments in the field. Often, you will find sections on the association's website that announce internship opportunities and job openings.
Reproduced from the John Jay College ICJ library page created by professors Rosemary Barberet and Maria Kiriakova and Lloyd Sealy Library librarians.
