HIGHEST PAYING JOBS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

There are many responsibilities implied by any leader or government towards its citizens. Governments are responsible for providing necessities like food, water, shelter, and employment to survive. But on top of these basics, humans expect their governments to work for their provision and protection of rights. And in the case of violation, they must provide their citizens those rights and justice. Justice is considered to be the main virtue of any society or tribe to prevail. It acts as the foundation of the values of a society. Without prevailing justice, governments lose the confidence and support of their people.

Therefore, any government needs to pay close attention to matters of justice. Around the world, justice is ensured through judiciaries and justice systems. All issues are divided into civil cases and criminal matters. Civil matters are those where two or more civilians are part of the conflict, and it needs resolve, however, the civil justice system is the facilitator here. In the criminal justice system, issues in which one party is a state or where matters are social like the killing of a citizen, are included.

Due to such high importance, people involved in the criminal justice field require and possess a higher skill set and experience. There are many careers and areas associated with the pursuance and provision of security and criminal justice like Probation Officers, Lawyers, Investigators, Lawyers, etc. Similarly, every field has a different path to pursue. Hence, it requires some research to understand the path. You can find details simply on google by searching for the relevant field like “how to become an air marshal,” and you will find requirements, course details, etc.

Let’s skim through some of the highest pay jobs with higher authority and job responsibilities.

1. Police Officers:

Police Officers are the first-hand response point to any criminal activity. They are responsible for ensuring public order, gather evidence, catch individuals involve in the crime, investigate and report any illegal or suspicious activities. They are also first called in action to help people by providing security, making arrests, or detain any individual for a temporary basis too. Police officers work under State or local agencies and follow a strict code of conduct related to their duties while also maintaining the reputation and integrity of the police force.

Qualifying as a police officer requires numerous physical, mental tests along with a psychological evaluation to demonstrate their intellectual, physical, and emotional capabilities to ensure their skills for employment. There are no special requirements educational requirements in general, but some agencies expect a Bachelor’s degree along with physical fitness tests. According to Glassdoor, an average salary for a police officer is $49,600 per year.

2. Private Detectives or Investigators:

They are involved in specialized law techniques to enforce the law, gather evidence, investigate, solve the crime, and scrutinize records. Private Detectives conduct their law enforcement activities by gathering facts through interviews, research, and observation to assist in raids or arrests. They usually work for private individuals, police force, FBI, etc. in specific cases like forensic frauds, homicide, etc.

They are also trained similarly as police officers, like completing physical and mental fitness tests along with psychological examinations. Furthermore, private detectives need to specialize in particular techniques to enhance their capabilities. Most private investigators or detectives earn $59,000 to $92,000 based on their training and experience in the field.

3. Federal Marshals:

Federal Marshals are the specialized members of the U.S Government Executive Branch. They are responsible for securing the federal courts, protecting court officers, and making sure that the national court operations are running smoothly without any hassle or issue. They also provide services of serving arrest warrants, commuting prisoners, and maintaining security.

They are required to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice along with three years of work experience and successful completion of physical, mental, and psychological assessments to be eligible for further training. Federal Marshals are further trained for 17.5 weeks in U.S Marshals Service Academy in Georgia. Typically, Federal Marshals earn from $38,000 to $48,000 per year.

4. Forensics Analyst:

Forensic analysts are one of the most important resources in the criminal justice field. They are responsible for doing the vital work of collection, classification, analysis, and identification of physical evidence related to federal investigations. They work with medical examiners, police departments, hospitals, or researchers regarding crime scenes, evidence, etc.

The forensic analysis involves specialized techniques. Therefore they need to attain specialization in fields like biochemistry, handwriting, ballistics, and fingerprinting, and they are required to testify in courts regarding the reporting and authenticity of forensic findings. Forensic analysts are required to have a Bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice along with a forensic science specialization. Forensic analysts earn around $37,000 to $58,000 yearly, in general.

5. Lawyers:

One of the highest-paid professionals in the field of criminal justice is the lawyers. Lawyers are hired by and represent parties in their civil or criminal case proceedings. Technically, they advise and suggest their clients on a course of action based on their knowledge of the law, binding judicial precedents, experience, and research. Lawyers are required to attain a 4-year undergraduate degree, three years of law, and then examination and licensing program to qualify as for bar and employment. In addition to a basic law degree, lawyers are expected to be a specialist in one particular field of law like intellectual property, civil law, criminal law, insurance, public interest, probate laws, etc. Lawyers earn hefty in comparison to other fields of criminal justice, around $74,000 to $164,000 annually.

6. Court Clerks:

They provide clerical support in federal licensing agencies, court systems, municipalities, etc. Court clerks are expected to perform administrative duties like retrieving information of judges, preparing court cases dockets, maintaining records, collecting fees, and enlisting bylaws for towns and councils. They need to complete vocational training from technical schools or a two-year associate degree. They earn around $23,000 to $77,000 yearly.        

Conclusion:

As discussed above, there are many roles and responsibilities to follow to earn good money while providing value to the people. But, it falls retrospectively to the basic point, i.e., provision of justice to the people and reinstating right over wrong and truth above all.