Can You Be a Social Worker With a Criminal Justice Degree?

Social workers are human services professionals dedicated to helping people cope with life's challenges. They work with victims of domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, and beyond. Criminal justice aims to create a safe society through law enforcement, the court system, and corrections. It's a field that meshes well with social work since people involved in various aspects of criminal justice often rely on the expertise of social workers.

If you love these fields and have a criminal justice degree, can you become a social worker? Yes, you can have a criminal justice background and become a social worker with the right education and experience. Below, we'll explore social worker jobs you can snag with a criminal justice degree.

Is It Possible To Be a Social Worker With a Criminal Justice Degree?

A criminal justice degree is a great starting point for a social work career. The key is meeting all educational requirements and gaining the proper experience. You must also be prepared to perform duties like the following:

• determining clients' issues and goals through psychosocial and risk assessments
• referring and advocating for healthcare, adult and child welfare, and other community resources
• responding to mental health and other emergencies

Social work and criminal justice have a lot in common. Next, we'll examine the relationship between these fields.

How Is Criminal Justice Related to Social Work?

Social workers provide emotional support and resources to individuals involved in the legal system, including inmates, victims, and family members. Additional duties include:

• supporting domestic violence victims
• offering inmates re-entry services
• rehabilitating children accused of crimes
• working with legal advocacy groups to prompt policy changes in local and state governments

Social workers spend time in criminal justice settings supporting clients and their families. Though they are victim advocates, social workers help perpetrators build skills to succeed following their release.

How Can a Criminal Justice Degree Prepare Me for a Career in Social Work?

A bachelor's degree in criminal justice offers a comprehensive background in behavioral analysis, criminal law, and sociology. Criminal justice degree programs explore coursework covering the following:

• forensics
• crime and criminal behavior
• juvenile delinquency
• criminal justice ethics
• U.S. courts
• law, government, and society
• sociology as it relates to ethnicity, race, gender, and class

Growing your criminal justice knowledge can help you better understand how to help clients facing legal challenges as victims or inmates. You can also qualify for criminal justice social work, forensic social work, or social work criminology roles in courthouses and correctional facilities. Below, we'll look at the types of social worker roles students can gain with a criminal justice degree.

Types of Social Workers Who Benefit From a Criminal Justice Degree

Many social worker roles rely on criminal justice knowledge. Forensic social workers, juvenile justice social workers, and court social workers are just a few. Let's examine these roles.

Forensic Social Worker

Forensic social workers participate in civil and criminal cases focused on corrections, parental rights, elder abuse, and more. Some duties include:

• diagnosing and treating criminal and juvenile justice populations
• treating clients with mental health challenges
• providing psychosocial or group counseling
• offering eye witness court testimony

Some forensic social workers consult lawmakers, attorneys, and law enforcement personnel. They might also conduct behavioral science research. Forensic social workers typically require a Master of Social Work (MSW) and state licensure.

Victim Advocate

Victim advocates assist victims of crimes like sexual assault, attempted murder, and spousal abuse. Duties include:

• helping victims find a lawyer and navigate the criminal justice system
• locating emergency temporary shelter
• recommending counseling services
• attending court hearings to advocate for victims

Advocates can operate in work environments like nonprofit organizations, domestic violence centers, jails, and courts. They might have a bachelor's degree in social work or forensic psychology.

Corrections Social Worker

A corrections social worker focuses on helping individuals in the correctional system manage their time in prison and prepare for societal re-entry. Some responsibilities include:

• participating in prisoner reform and rehabilitation
• monitoring prison conditions and practices
• delivering substance abuse and mental health counseling
• providing life and job skills training and parenting and marriage education

Correctional social workers often assess prisoners' mental health during intake and work with them throughout their incarceration. The ideal education for a corrections social worker is a master's degree in social work.

Juvenile Justice Social Worker

Juvenile justice social workers participate in the youth court intake process for truancy, runaways, delinquency, and poor behavior. Other duties include:

• meeting with a child and their parents or guardians to make recommendations to an attorney's office
• learning about family dynamics to assess the child's home environment
• examining the child's relationships in school and the community
• determining whether a case should be closed, managed informally, or handled in court

Social workers in juvenile justice typically use restorative practices like home detention and community service to hold offenders accountable. A degree from an accredited social work program is required for all social work roles.

Court Social Worker

Court social workers focus on juvenile and adult court systems. Some responsibilities might include:

• providing forensic evaluations
• making guardianship and custody recommendations
• offering expert testimony in criminal and civil cases
• participating in mediation

Court social workers play significant roles in law enforcement, corrections, parole, and probation. As with other social work roles, starting this career requires a degree.

How To Become a Social Worker With a Criminal Justice Degree

Social work is a promising field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for social workers is projected to grow 7% from 2022 to 2032. Review the following steps if you're ready to pursue a traditional or criminal justice social worker career.

Meet Social Work Educational Requirements

Depending on your chosen social worker role, you might need a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or MSW accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). BSW programs explore the following:

• human behavior
• social policy
• economic justice
• evaluation and inquiry methods
• social work practice

Individuals who want to become clinical social workers (CSWs) or licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) typically need a master's in social work. MSW programs explore social work theory and other concepts covered in BSW programs while offering clinical experiences for hands-on social work practice.

Obtain Licensure

Clinical social work requires licensure in all states. Some states require nonclinical social workers to secure a credential or license. Obtaining licensure typically involves earning a master's degree in social work, getting supervised clinical experience, and passing a clinical exam. Contact your state's licensure board to learn your licensing requirements.

Get Certified

Though employers typically don't require social workers to obtain certifications, doing so could help you stand out from other candidates. Some certifications to consider include:

• Certified Children, Youth, and Family Social Worker (C-CYFSW)
• Certified Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM)
• Certified School Social Work Specialist (C-SSWS)
• Social Worker in Gerontology (SW-G)

Gain Experience

Clinical roles require supervised clinical fieldwork. Social work programs with a clinical focus require students to complete clinical coursework and hundreds of field hours. Work experiences let students interact with clients in healthcare, legal, or other work settings offering social services.