Criminal Justice
The Criminal Justice Careers Program offers preparation for a broad range of career opportunities in the expanding Criminal Justice field. Careers in Criminal Justice offer interesting and intense work and provide high pay and excellent benefits and retirement programs. The Richland Criminal Justice Careers Program offers basic and advanced certificates as well as an AAS degree. There are four areas of concentration, each leading to a different criminal justice career path for individuals with different abilities, aptitudes, and/or interests. Areas of concentration include Patrol Officer, Correctional Officer, Probation and Parole Officer, and Emergency Telecommunications Specialist. Work in these specialized fields ranges from the delivery of emergency response and investigative services provided by the Emergency Telecommunications Specialist and Patrol Officer to the close monitoring and accountability systems for those accused or convicted of crimes managed by the Correctional Officer and Probation and Parole Officer.
This is a career and technical education program. Some of the courses may not transfer to four-year institutions.
Sample Job Titles
Police Officer/K-9 Officer (department requirements vary, some departments, especially state agencies, do require a 4-year degree), State Police Officer, Court Security Officer, Correctional Officer, Private/Corporate Security Officer, Legal Assistant, Paralegal (some larger cities will only hire people with actual "paralegal" degrees), Loss Prevention Officer
Available Degrees and Certificates