Policy Analyst (Criminal Justice)
Impact: Societal
Analyzes criminal justice policies, programs, and legislation to provide recommendations for improvement. Conducts research, evaluates data, and prepares reports for government agencies, non-profits, or advocacy groups.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- Team-oriented with individual research
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Low
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 45
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $85,000
- Entry-level
- $60,000
- Senior
- $120,000
- Growth by 2033
- 7%
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High
- Typical student debt
- $50,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Policy Analysis
- Data Analysis
- Research Methods
- Legal Knowledge
Soft skills
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Problem Solving
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Master's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5
- Years to senior
- 10
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Senior Policy Analyst, Program Manager, Director of Policy
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- Low
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 4/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High