When you make the career decision and consider studying criminal justice, you have made the first step towards great success. Acquiring this degree gives you the power to fight injustice and provide fair play in any wrong situation. If you are passionate and enjoy supporting justice, you will be getting great benefits while doing what you love. But before you make this decision, it would be wise to know what this career is all about.
What criminal justice career entail?
Criminal justice involves identifying and endeavoring to control and eliminate criminal behavior. It’s a system where you get to determine, apprehend, judge, and impose punishment on illegal persons and activities. This system has three parts;
1. Police officer
2. Patrolpersons
3. Detectives
4. Federal agents
5.Investigators
6. Sheriffs
You can get hired if you have a certificate from high school, but for higher salaries and many other opportunities, you will need to have a degree in criminal justice. When you choose a career in law enforcement, you can get a job with good pay and community status.
Courts system
This part of criminal justice involves assessing the guilt or innocence of the suspect in a trial. It has two sides; the prosecution and the defense. The prosecutors review the case brought to court, then decide whether to file it or not. If they file charges, they will take the case to court, present the evidence they have, and question the witnesses looking to make a conviction. The defense lawyers then represent the accused and try to prove their innocence. These lawyers ensure that their client is well defended and are looking for an acquittal.
This sector has career options such as city attorneys, federal defenders, district attorneys, and attorney generals. But it also has other professionals other than lawyers, including judges, court clerks, court officers, process servers, paralegals, victim advocates, and court reporters. These officers are well paid and also provided with great benefits.
Corrections
Corrections deals with individuals who are charged with a particular crime. Its role is to make sure that the criminal has served their sentence. The sentence can either be in jail, prison, probation or probably doing community service. Various specialists work in these places and help in reforming these offenders. They include;
Wardens
Parole officers
Probation officers
Rehabilitation specialists
Correction counselors
The education needed varies because they are either employed by the local, state, or federal government. The salary of correctional officers is outrageous, although not an entire ride.
With the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, you may want to give more to the community and get a criminal justice degree online. You will get plenty of opportunities, potential salaries, and even job growth.
Law enforcement
Law enforcement is viewed as the bleeding edge of the criminal equity framework. The officers in this sector take patrols and receive complaints from the people regarding any crime. They also have the authority to arrest any suspected offender and give their testimonies in the courts of law. Some of the positions include;