Criminal Justice

Always had a passion for catching the bad guys? Well Criminal Justice is the perfect field for a person like you to follow your dreams. Criminal justice is the application or study of laws regarding criminal behavior. Criminal justice is always a goal to be achieved. Everyone involved in the arrest, prosecution, defense, or judgment of a suspect aim to be fair. It is not always fair though due to the flexibility in the application of laws, the changes to laws can be unfair, and the judiciary power of interpretation may change how the outcome is.

As a student of Criminal Justice, you will take courses such as Computer Crime, Drug Trade and Trafficking, Juvenile Corrections, Terrorism & Counter-Terrorism, Domestic Violence, and Criminology. You may encounter topics such as forensic psychology, history of criminal justice, ethics, and sociology. Those who aim to join the FBI or CIA usually obtain a four-year degree in criminal justice.

When training to become a police officer, you will learn about the powers you have in relationship to a suspect, and what powers they do not have. You will be trained in the measures of force, and will learn how to shoot a gun or employ non lethal weapons such as pepper spray. Those who work in law enforcement, first study criminal justice before attending a police academy. Their degrees in criminal justice set them up for a strong foundation to becoming an ethical and educated supporter of justice.

Careers in Criminal Justice:

• CIA Agent – $195,000
• Compliance Officer – $73,000
• Corrections Officer – $37,000
• Court Clerk – $65,000
• Court Reporter – $51,000
• Crime Scene Investigation – $33,000
• Criminologist
• FBI Agent – $81,000
• Forensic Scientist – $76,000
• Paralegal – $55,000
• Police Detective – $51,000
• Sheriff – $48,000
• Secret Service – $79,000
• Legal Office Administrator – $52,000