This is not about keeping the picture or table close to where they have been mentioned.
It is about keeping the caption of the picture (or table) together with the picture. Otherwise the picture and the caption will be displayed in different pages (or columns). Then, how to do it?.
\documentclass[journal,twoside]{IEEEtran}
\usepackage[spanish,english]{babel}
\usepackage{circuitikz}
\usepackage[justification=centering]{caption}
\begin{document}
\title{Minimal Working}
\maketitle
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[scale=0.2444]{MultiplierSimulationI.png}
\captionof{figure}{\small Multiplier circuit x3.}
\end{center}
\begin{center}
\begin{circuitikz}[american]
\draw (-0.5,-0.5) to[open, l=$Anode$] (0,-0.5);
\draw (-1,0) to[D, v=$V_D$] (-1,-2);
\draw (-1,0) to[open, o-o] (-1,-2);
\draw (0,-0.5) -- (0,-1.3) to[short, i=$i_D$] (0,-1.5);
\draw (-0.5,-2.3) to[open, l=$Cathode$] (0,-2.3);
\end{circuitikz}
\captionof{figure}{\small Ideal Diode.}
\end{center}
\end{document}
This is how I insert pictures (correct me if I am wrong, I insert them like this to put them wherever I want and avoid that the position itself anywhere in the page, and to give them a location). Anyway, if you add forced spaces before the picture there is a time where the picture will stay in the first column and the caption in the first line of the second column (same situation with the circuit).
