Currently, the three most important problems in the criminal justice system are the retention and recruitment of police officers, the lack of parity of resources between the prosecution and public defenders, and their public perception. Recruitment and retention of police officers is a major challenge for the criminal justice system. At Northeastern, faculty and students collaborate in research centers to address some of the biggest challenges in health, safety, and sustainability. According to the National Institute of Justice, around 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year, and harassment is more common than previously thought.
The United States' democratic system is at the heart of justice, but the current criminal justice system faces increasingly complex problems, from human trafficking to terrorism and drug-related crimes. Professionals with criminal justice-related careers face these difficult challenges every day and work to reduce crime, improve public safety, and protect and serve society. A recent report from the U. S.
Department of State revealed that there are approximately 24.9 million children, women and men around the world who are victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation in the United States. This makes it one of the worst countries in the world for this form of modern slavery. Human trafficking has become all too familiar to law enforcement officers in communities around the world, and it's a focus point for many criminal justice professionals and state and federal legislators working to design policies, laws and programs to reduce cases and protect and support victims. Mental health is another issue that criminal justice professionals must address.
Instead of getting the medical help they need, many people with a mental health crisis find themselves in trouble with the law. In fact, 44% of inmates have a history of mental health problems. Drug-related crimes have long been an important part of the work of those who work in law enforcement, as well as other professionals with careers related to criminal justice. With the growing opioid epidemic, drug-related arrests are putting even greater pressure on the American criminal justice system.
Many criminal justice professionals have dedicated their careers to fighting drugs through better law enforcement, more effective policies and new laws. Professionals with criminal justice careers that focus on national security work every day to combat terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, and other threats to the security of our country. According to a national institute that collects data on violence against women, around 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by a partner every year, and the institute found that harassment is more common than previously thought. And in today's political environment, addressing national security issues without compromising individual rights and freedoms is an increasingly difficult task for policy makers, law enforcement officials and other criminal justice officials.
Criminal justice structures must cautiously stabilize the desires of groups and societies for protection and security, the desires of people suffering from justice and reparation, and the desire to hold offenders accountable while ensuring their rehabilitation and social reintegration and reducing recidivism. To be successful, leaders of the criminal justice system must think strategically, communicate locally, and act ethically while developing comprehensive solutions to crime and terrorism. You can prepare to address these important issues in the criminal justice system by earning a master's degree in Criminal Justice at Walden University. In this online master's program, you'll learn the latest strategies and tools for addressing today's most important criminal justice issues.
