spacer Online Degree and Distance Learning Programs

Online Criminal Justice Degrees for Working Professionals

Arts & Humanities      Business      Technology      Criminal Justice      Healthcare      Education      Vocational Training
Home | About | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy spacer

Online Degrees

Arts & Humanities
Business Degrees
Technology Degrees
Criminal Justice Degrees

- Crime Scene Degree
- Criminal Justice Degree
- Law Degree
- Paralegal Degree

Health Care Degrees
Education Degrees
Vocational Training

Degree Levels

Associate Degree
Bachelor Degree
Master's Degree
Doctorate Degree
MBA Degree

Online Degree Education

    Line Image    
Criminal Justice Degree

Criminal Justice
Online Degree Programs

Benefits of a Criminal Justice Degree

  • Better-trained criminal justice employees improve society by improving the system.
  • A bachelor’s degree is often essential for success, but those who qualify can expect great employment prospects.
Criminal Justice Professionals
The criminal Justice system is charged with protecting and serving the public while exacting justice upon those who break the law. Because of the great variance in size and jurisdiction of criminal justice agencies, this charge is executed in several different ways. Often people convicted of criminal behavior are put on probation rather than being sent to prison and given the chance to prove they can live in society without breaking the law. A probation officer or community supervision officer must monitor those on probation. People released from prison with certain restrictions are ‘on parole.’ Much like probation officers, parole officers make certain that parolees adhere to the restrictions of their parole. Indeed, because of their similar duties, some states consolidate the role of probation and parole officer.

Probation officers spend a great deal of their time in service of the courts. Writing pre-sentence reports, making sentencing recommendations, and running background checks on defendants occupy much of their day. Before making sentence recommendations to the court, an officer will review those recommendations with the defendant and their family. Officers may also be called on to give testimony on their conclusions.

In rural areas probation officers sometimes work with both juvenile and adult offenders, but it is more common for an officer to work exclusively with one or the other. On occasion, probation officers may serve as pretrial service officers in the federal courts, offering bond recommendations for offenders and carrying out pre-trial investigations.

Correctional treatment specialists are assigned to work in probation or parole agencies as well as in correctional facilities. Those assigned to jails and prisons work together with probation officers to establish parole and release procedures by analyzing inmate progress. Reports from treatment specialists are used when inmates come up for release. These specialists can also serve as case managers or drug treatment specialists. They create and direct counseling services, job training, and education programs aimed at helping inmates overcome addictions and develop the social and mental skills necessary for reentrance into society. Often their work includes drafting treatment outlines and strategies for each inmate. Correctional treatment specialists who serve in parole and probation agencies have similar responsibilities.

Criminal justice social workers conduct pre-sentencing assessments, and recommend appropriate action to the courts. They also offer social services such as counseling to inmates as well as those on parole and probation, and their families.

Substance abuse social workers are often employed by substance abuse treatment and prevention programs and provide counseling to inmates recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. In addition they assist recovering inmates in obtaining proper job training and in finding work.

Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are county law enforcement agents. Most Sheriff’s departments employ fewer than 25 officers and are lead by the Sheriff who is elected on the county level. In larger agencies a deputy sheriff might carry many of the same responsibilities as officers in a citywide police department. Throughout the country roughly 40 percent of sworn deputies are beat officers, 30 percent serve in correctional facilities, 12 percent work as investigators, 11 percent serve the courts, and the remaining 7 percent serve in administration. Deputies assigned to act as security officers in the courtroom are often called bailiffs.

State police officers, state troopers, and highway patrol officers enforce the law throughout a state arresting criminals and giving tickets and citations to drivers who violate the law. When accidents occur uniformed officers often direct traffic, administer first aid, request emergency services, give out citations, determine accident causes, and write up accident reports. State law enforcement agencies are often asked to assist locally, particularly in small towns that lack resources to handle large situations.

State Law enforcement agencies serve in all states besides Hawaii. More than two-thirds of officers employed in these states are uniformed beat officers. The remaining one-third of officers is split mostly between administration and investigation, while a small fraction work for the courts.

The Federal Government runs the Department of Justice, which employs the largest number of Federal officers of any government agency. The government’s primary source for law enforcement agents is the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Agents are trained to provide surveillance, examine business records, monitor warranted wiretaps, investigate white-collar crime, carry out national security investigations, trace the movement of stolen goods across state lines, as well as enforce over 260 different federal statutes regarding financial crime, government fraud, civil rights violations, organized crime, kidnapping, extortion, bank robbery, drug trafficking, air piracy, espionage, terrorism and other similar criminal activities.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents are solely concerned with violations of federal drug laws. While the DEA takes the lead in enforcing drug laws locally, its larger task involves carrying out Federal drug investigations throughout the world. Agents are involved in broad undercover and investigative activities to undermine organized drug cartels that supply drugs to the U.S. U.S. marshals and deputy marshals are called on to ensure the safety and effective operation of the Federal court system. They are responsible for the transportation of Federal criminals, for providing security for Federal Judges, protecting witnesses, and overseeing goods impounded from criminal organizations. Their jurisdiction is the broadest in the country and therefore marshals take part in almost all federal law enforcement activities, including the pursuit and capture of fugitives.

Criminal Justice Degree Programs:

Featured Criminal Justice Degrees

University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix offering the following Criminal Justice Degree Programs:
  • Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Kaplan University
Kaplan University offering online criminal justice degrees in the following specialties:
  • B.S. in Criminal Justice
  • A.A.S. in Criminal Justice
  • Crime Scene Technician
  • Terrorism Security Certificates
  • Paralegal Studies

FMU Online
Florida Metropolitan University (FMU) Online offering the following criminal justice degrees:
  • Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice
  • Masters Degree in Criminal Justice
  • Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies
  • Bachelor Degree in Paralegal Studies

Colorado Technical University
With CTU Online, you can earn a career-accelerating Bachelor's degree on a flexible study schedule that fits your busy lifestyle. CTU Online offers the following online criminal justice degree with a certificate in crime scene investigation:
  • Bachelor in Criminal Justice / Crime Scene Investigation
    The Bachelor in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Crime Scene Investigation will help you earn 4 valuable professional certificates including the Crime Scene Investigation certificate. The Crime Scene Investigation certicate teaches students how to properly document, preserve and process physical evidence and thoroughly analyze it. Students will also examine the laws of evidence and learn how to collect and prepare evidence to be used in court. The program also covers topics such as interrogation, perpetrator profiling and the use of psychological evidence in criminal litigation.

    Line Image     Criminal Justice Schools
University of Phoenix
Kaplan University
FMU Online
Colorado Technical University
Keiser College

Featured Schools
Our editors top choice of online degree schools: University of Phoenix
Walden University
Kaplan University
Ellis College of NYIT
Westwood College

Featured Degrees:
Our Editors choice for online degrees Associate Degree

University of Phoenix
Kaplan University
AIU Online

Bachelor Degree
University of Phoenix
Warren National University
DeVry University Online

Master's Degree
Capella University
Walden University
University of Phoenix

MBAs
Ellis College of NYIT
University of Phoenix
Jones International University

Diplomas
PCDI
Penn Foster Career School

Arts & Humanities | Business | Technology | Criminal Justice | Health Care | Education | Vocational Training | Resources | Site Map


Online Degree Advantage
"The Premier Online Degree and Distance Learning Portal"
Copyright ? 2008 OnlineDegreeCentre.com, All rights reserved.