This curriculum is designed to provide professionally educated and competent criminal justice practitioners.
Experiences in the classroom, internships and simulated situations provide the student with the basis for and understanding of the laws and procedures required of law enforcement agencies, courts and correctional institutions. One must be 21 years old to work in the criminal justice field. Disqualifying factors that may affect a decision to choose this curriculum are:
DUI conviction
criminal record
bad driving record
bad credit rating
past use of illegal drugs
Graduates in this field may be required to:
ensure that laws are followed
protect the lives and property of community citizens
patrol community areas to watch for traffic problems, fires, robbery or other problems
respond to reports of emergencies, criminal actions and accidents
apprehend criminal offenders
complete administrative and investigative reports
participate in court proceedings when necessary
do investigative work as needed and assigned
render service to members of community
Graduates in this field commonly experience:
partly office / partly outdoors
some degree of danger exists
very structured and confined environment (prison / jail)
work under little direct supervision
work in cooperation with others
work under stress in emergency situations
considerable paperwork
work weekends, holidays, nights, overtime as needed
mildly active (some walking, standing, moving about)
lift to 50 lbs.
Graduates in this field should have:
ability to work with data (numbers, symbols, words)
excellent written and oral communication skills
ability to work cooperatively with people of all backgrounds
ability to "catch on" quickly
mechanical reasoning (understand how things work and how to fix them)
ability to proofread; avoid errors in writing and computation
good motor coordination (hand / eye coordination, accurate and swift movement, finger/manual dexterity)
ability to make generalizations, evaluations or decisions
ability to deal with and work under stress
ability to deal with critical, unusual or dangerous situations
ability to work with speed and sustained attention
ability to change form one task to another quickly and efficiently
ability to maintain composure under stress
self-discipline
Graduates in this field can expect the following developments:
salary average: $25,550 for 2009 -2011 graduates
salary range: $20,000.00 - 41,000.00 per year for 2009-2011 graduates
72% placement rate for 2009-2011 graduates
employment in cities and towns of all sizes
some entry level positions: police officer, deputy, dispatcher, corrections officer, trooper, private security officer, juvenile court officer, probation technician and with variety of positions in social services agencies
advancement opportunities are good for associate's degree graduates
unlimited possibilities with more education and training
Some recent graduates have found work at:
MEG'S House