subject: Criminal Justice Careers And Salaries [print this page] Many people are concerned that those well paying and readily available law enforcement careers are disappearing because of many deep and necessary budget cuts which are sweeping the country. If you are wondering what kinds of criminal justice careers and salaries are out there, then have no fear because law enforcement as an industry is booming and has never been more lucrative. This is great news for those who love the field of criminal careers and their salaries and want to make a difference through an exciting and hopefully life long career.
Criminal careers and salaries are often advertised, but rarely explained. These careers focus on the law, to be sure, but tend to focus solely on the elements related to crime and punishment. If you wish to pursue such career, there will be a number of careers available to you when you graduate.
The first, most common, set of criminal justice careers and salaries are those in the law enforcement field. The majority of those that pursue the degree tend to do so in preparation of working either as a law enforcement officer or in the prison system, most of these professions tend to have rather reasonable median salaries. A police officer, on average, makes about forty thousand dollars per year, and can make up to eighty thousand by the end of his or her career. If you choose to go into forensics, you can expect to make around fifty to sixty thousand dollars a year when you join the force. Prison guards tend to make less, while private detectives tend to hover around the forty thousand dollar mark.
Of course, many pursue a degree in criminal justice to work in other positions in the legal world. Border patrol agents average about fifty-five thousand dollars per year, and federal law enforcement agents have a median income of over seventy thousand dollars per year. On the less active side, court reporters tend to average over fifty thousand dollars per year, and various clerks and other personnel in the court system tend to make in excess of twenty dollars per hour. There are a number of other local, state, and federal government positions that can be held by an individual with a criminal justice careers and salaries, but they are too varied to list.
So, despite budget cuts and layoffs at various municipal agencies, there are plenty of other criminal justice careers and salaries that you can enjoy and settle into. From working in investigations to becoming a star prosecutor, the sky is the limit in terms of the choices you have, and usually by the second year of college, most students have a pretty solid idea of where they want to direct their energy and interests. In the meantime, having exposure and courses that will help you to become familiar with many of the criminal justice careers and salaries that are available now and in the future is beneficial and is one of the reasons many agencies are now requiring this foundation for most people entering the field.
