Criminal Justice Studies is a broad term for social studies that aim to study, recognize, and clarify criminal behavior. On a broader and higher level, it can also be utilized to study and analyze society’s role in creating and controlling criminals. One may also consider Law school for getting more information about criminal justice.

So all in all, this relatively new branch of criminal studies has a lot of varied use in the society. Plus, a background in this sets you quite nicely for future jobs as a –

  1. Judge
  2. Lawyer
  3. FBI agent
  4. Policeman
  5. Parole officer

One thing to note here is that these jobs are independent of any market fluctuations. So even if the market goes down, most of these jobs won’t be lost because of downsizing. So if you are looking for a career and financial stability, then these jobs are just what you are looking for. One can also explore free online paralegal courses as it will help them to acquire adequate knowledge.

criminal justice studies
Criminal justice studies

Criminal Justice Studies Degree : Professional Cost

There are two different kinds of people in this world. Ones those who are passionate about what they do and the others are those who are doing it for the money. There is nothing wrong with either one of them. So, when people take up such studies, they take them because of these two reasons only.

Criminal Justice Studies courses can take one down a series of different paths. However, since we have mentioned the more popular ones before, here is a look at what their average incomes are over the period of a year –

  1. Judge – 130,000 USD
  2. Lawyer – 100,000 USD
  3. FBI Agent – 65,000 USD
  4. Policeman – 50,000 USD
  5. Parole officer – 40,000 USD

So needless to say, these jobs will provide you with a stable income each year with great job security. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are good enough at the job, then you can quite easily earn more than the average since the scope for growth is huge. 

Criminal justice studies

We congratulate you if you’ve always wanted to serve in the world of criminal justice. This isn’t necessarily a job for the faint of heart. Depending on the kind of job you do in the area, combating violence and leading to a safer world can be emotionally and physically demanding.

As far as career opportunities are concerned, you can choose from a number of divisions of criminal justice. The options are infinite, whether you prefer to investigate from behind a desk or out in the woods. Criminal Justice jobs can be found almost everywhere. They can be seen at all levels of government, including private, county, state, and federal.

Criminal Justice vs. Criminology

Criminal justice and criminology are two disciplines that deal with criminals and law enforcement. Almost all of their similarities finish there. Let’s figure out the difference:

  • From the moment a felony is committed before the suspect is proven guilty and sentenced to jail, criminal justice deals with all facets of the crime. 
  • The term “criminal justice” refers to all aspects of the American legal system.
  • Criminology focuses on why a crime occurred rather than the crime itself. What inspiredthe suspect to conduct the crime?
  • Criminology is related to sociology in that it relies on understanding what drives criminals to commit crimes and how to avoid them in the future. 
  • Criminal justice is only concerned with what happens after a crime has been committed.

Now that you know the difference between the two, you may focus on succeeding in criminal justice studies.

Work Prospects of Criminal Justice

The world of criminal justice is vast, with many employment options. A criminal justice degree will help you get into law school or prepare you for a career in leadership, academics, probation, homeland security, or law enforcement, to name a few fields.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the peak rate of job opportunities in the Criminal Justice industry can be found in the following areas:

  • Junior colleges
  • Colleges and universities
  • State government
  • Businesses, and 
  • Technical schools 

The BLS also states that schools and state government departments were the highest-paying sectors.

Many law enforcement and criminal justice positions are in the public sector. Sadly, crime is a fact of life that does not offer professionals the pleasure of holidays or vacations.

If you want to work for a government department, you will be called a public servant, and your career will be less competitive than private-sector jobs. This is mainly because it is not as contingent on the ups and downs of the economy or a difficult job market. Pursuing criminal justice studies and attempting to crack government job opportunities is the best option you have.

Furthermore, government-employed criminal justice employees enjoy a number of perks, including the following:

  • Pension
  • Insurance
  • Educational and tuition support
  • Paid vacations
  • Sick leaves 

Many jobs allow you to retire after 20 years of service and come with a nice retirement package.

How to be successful in criminal justice studies?

It’s about improving the understanding of criminal justice problems not just by research practices, but also through learning the art of cynicism. When recent affairs unfold, there is also a dramatic transition and a great deal of new insight into the world of criminal justice.

You must keep track of your reading and submit assignments on schedule. Note that procrastination or too much delay will lead to rushing, and hurried work almost always means low quality.

Criminal Justice Studies Major Courses

Nowadays, you can apply for a course in Criminal Justice Studies in almost every university out there. And in case you don’t have the money or the time for regular courses, you can always apply for online courses. Most of the online universities now provide criminal justice courses. 

Criminal Justice Research Studies – Sub branches

There is a whole lot to choose from in the overarching criminal justice courses. But in case you want the best possible platform to launch your career from, then these are the best possible courses that you can opt for –

  1. Computer forensics – With the increasing digitalization of our world, it comes as little to no surprise to find that computer forensics is the most sought after course out there. 
  2. Counterterrorism – With the ever increasing terror groups and their ever expanding region of influence, counterterrorism studies are gaining more and more traction.
  3. Criminal investigations – Crime will always be a part of society and as society progresses, the crime rate increases. In order to deal with this, criminal investigators are needed for which you need a criminal investigations background. 
  4. Criminal psychology – While criminal investigations deal with the how of the crime, criminal psychology deals with the why of it. This is important to identify patterns and prevent crimes in the future.
  5. Cybersecurity – With the internet slowly creeping into all aspects of life, it makes sense that cybersecurity is slowly becoming an important facet of life. If you want to learn about different essential criminal justice topics such as cyber security, criminology, etc., you can visit best criminal justice colleges in NY.

Criminal Justice Case Studies – Cost of the Program

The cost of your Criminal Justice Studies solely depends on your preference. There is a lot of variation in the prices of courses and modes of education. Still, here are a few estimates on how much it will cost you –

Traditional education methods – 

  1. Associate degree – 21,000 USD per year (2 years course)
  2. Bachelor’s degree – 11,000 USD per year (3 years course)
  3. Online classes – 2500 USD per year

Since there are quite a lot of Criminal Justice Studies courses, we simply can’t cover them all. However, since we have already listed some of the more popular courses before, we shall talk about the cost of each one of them. So without further ado, here we go –

Computer forensics –

  1. Traditional schooling – 30,000 USD per year
  2. Online courses – 700 USD per credit
  1. Counterterrorism – 300 USD per credit
  2. Criminal investigations – 
  1. Traditional schooling – 21,000 USD Per year
  2. Online courses – 7,000 USD
  3. Criminal psychology –
  1. Traditional schooling – 8,700 USD per year
  2. Online courses – 13,000 USD
  3. Cybersecurity – 350 USD per credit

With the costs now out of the way, let us take a look at where all you can pursue these courses.

Criminal Justice Safety Studies
Criminal Justice Safety Studies

Criminal Justice Safety Studies – Details regarding best colleges

Now we know that there are a lot of colleges out there which offer these courses and there is obvious preference involved. However, with that being said, let us still take a look at some of the colleges that we consider to be the best in this regard –

  1. Pennsylvania State University
  2. University of Cincinnati
  3. University of California, Irvine
  4. Michigan State University
  5. Florida State University

These are some of the best universities out there. Their prices might be a bit higher, however, that is to be expected if you want quality education. 

With all of this being said, a Criminal Justice Studies degree is a small but important step in an oftentimes exciting career in the world, dealing with criminals. Plus, most of the careers in this field are immune to market fluctuations. So there is relative stability along with great scope for growth.

More importantly, one can apply for these degrees from the comfort of their home without dropping a pretty penny. And with the ever increasing legal and enforcement system, these degrees will only have their values appreciate over time. So if you are planning to pursue these Criminal Justice Studies, now is the time for it. We have provided you with all the information that you might need. And in case if you need any more assistance, feel free to get in touch with us! One can visit our homepage online schools near me to get all the desired information about criminal justice.