The pursuit of justice can be a nebulous science as each individual holds a slightly different concept of what is right and fair. Careers in the field of criminal justice require professionals to consider the value of penalty to criminals and the public as well as determine how to properly manage threats to society's principles while maintaining the rights of criminal suspects.

Today, one prominent issue those in the field of criminal justice are mulling involves when to incarcerate convicted criminals. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 2.3 million Americans are imprisoned, which equates to roughly 700 prisoners in each of the country's 100,000 jails, the News Leader reports.

Some experts in the field believe the penalty of jail time to be disproportionate to nonviolent offenses, and argue that the costs of incarcerating inmates place a burden on taxpayers as well. According to the Connecticut General Assembly, the annual cost of jailing a single inmate in Connecticut is about $44,165.

Some experts recommend rehabilitation for non-violent criminals as an alternative to incarceration - a method that his proven successful other countries, like Portugal, where drug use among the public and criminal justice expense have decreased since decriminalization laws were implemented 8 years ago.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment in the field of law enforcement and correctional treatment is expected to grow by 11% until 2006.