Students learn of career options in criminal justice field

THE Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit held a career showcase for secondary school students at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre yesterday, to educate them about the types of careers available to them, within the criminal justice field.
Director of the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit (CJRPU), Cheryl Willoughby, noted that the career showcased formed part of the activities to mark Crime Awareness Month, recognised this October.

“This activity this morning is part of our Crime Awareness Month of activities. This year, we have a career showcase. This is premised on the many calls that we have received from schools and interested persons, who want to learn more about the field of criminal justice,” Willoughby explained.

“They want to know what subjects they should be pursuing at school, as well as some of the universities that will enable them to come back to Barbados with a Masters or Bachelors in Criminal Justice or Criminology, and so, we determined this year, as we celebrate Crime Awareness Month, that we need to give some information to our young ones at school about this whole area of criminal justice,” Willoughby further remarked.

Noting that the theme for the Crime Awareness Month of Activities is “The Criminal Justice System of Barbados  50 Years and Beyond”, Willoughby also noted that the CJRPU will be tracing the evolution of the criminal justice system over the last 50 years, and taking note of the changes.

Students attending the career showcase described it as informative, interesting and exciting. Most students were drawn to the booths set up by the Royal Barbados Police Force, especially its Tactical Response Unit; the Forensic Sciences Centre; Her Majesty Prisons Dodds; the National Council on Substance Abuse and the Probation Department.

Other key organisations present that also attracted the interest of students included the Barbados Fire Service, the Barbados Defence Force and G4S Secure Solutions.