NCWC: Select Job Titles in Criminal Justice

North Carolina Wesleyan College

Here is a select list of job titles that may be of interest to college students. Not all places in all jurisdictions may have these positions, and most of them cannot be obtained by lateral entry simply with a college degree (although some of them can). In working your way up from the entry-level "officer" ranks, they may be things to consider or shoot for specifically.

LAW ENFORCEMENT JOB TITLES

Arson investigator	Attache/Police Liaison Officer	Ballistics Expert	Booking Officer	Border Patrol Agent
Chaplain	Chief of Police	Chief of Staff	Commander	Commissioner
Communications Specialist	Community Policing Officer	Community Safety Officer	Community Service Officer	Conservation Officer

Crime Prevention Specialist	Crime Lab Technician	Crime Scene Technician	Customs Agent	Data Processing Specialist
Deputy Chief	Deputy Sheriff	Detective	Detention Officer	Document Examiner
Director of Research/ Development	Director of Scientific Services	Director of Standards & Training	Dispatcher	Drug Enforcement Agent

EMS Coordinator	Evidence Technician	FBI Special Agent	Fingerprint Expert	Firearms Instructor
Forensic Scientist	Gaming Enforcement Officer	Gang Crimes Investigator	Inspector	Instructor
Intelligence Analyst	Investigator	Jailer	Juvenile Specialist	K-9 Handler

Lawyer	Law Enforcement Planner	Law Enforcement Representative	Manpower Allocation Specialist	Narcotics Officer
Patrol Officer	Personnel Specialist	Photographer	Pilot	Polygraph Examiner
Psychologist/ Psychiatrist/ Psychometrician	Public Relations Officer	Public Safety Director	Radio Communications	Records Management

School Liaison	Scientist	Secret Service	Security Specialist	Serologist
Sheriff	Street Crimes Investigator	Superintendent	S.W.A.T.	T.A.C. officer
Technologist	Traffic Analyst	Trainer	Treasury Agent	Trooper

Undercover Operative

Undersheriff

U.S. Marshal

Water Patrol Officer

Witness Protection

COURT-RELATED JOB TITLES

Arbitrator	Assistant Administrator	Assistant Prosecutor	Background Investigator	Bailiff
Bondsman	CJ Systems Planner	Court Clerk	Court Reporter	Courthouse Security
Defense Attorney	Deputy Assistant	Diversion Specialist	Expert Witness	Grants Administrator

Investigator	Judicial Assistant	Law Clerk	Lawyer	Legal Research
Manager	Mediation Specialist	Paralegal	Parole Officer	Probation Officer
Process Server	Sentencing Analyst	Victim Restitution

CORRECTIONAL JOB TITLES

Administrator	Affirmative Action Officer	Budget Analyst	Business Officer Manager	Chaplain
Chief of Programs	Chief of Security	Computer Specialist	Correctional Clerk	Correctional Counselor
Correctional Officer	Employee Development Specialist	Facility Manager	Food Service Supervisor	Health Systems Administrator

Juvenile Detention Officer	Juvenile Worker	Leisure Time Activities Specialist	Medical Records Supervisor	Ombudsman
Personnel Officer	Placement Officer	Psychiatrist/ Psychologist	Public Relations Officer	Records Office Manager
Teacher	Trainer	Transport Officer	Unit Management	Vocational Specialist

Warden

Note: Be aware that many of the careers listed are distributed by educational qualifications/experience and constantly being upgraded. Take into consideration that administrator, instructor, criminologist, counselor, lawyer, psychologist, psychiatrist, researcher, and chaplain jobs usually require a graduate or professional degree.

A WORD ABOUT ENTRY-LEVEL SALARIES

Law Enforcement

Federal jobs start at about $31,000, the national average, although more selective agencies like the U.S. Postal Inspectors and U.S. Marshals may start you out at $39,000 or more. State jobs, on average, start at about $25,000 but may vary as much as 3,000 to 5,000 either way. County jobs, on average, start at about $20,000 and don't tend to vary as much although there is some disparity between rich and poor counties. City jobs, likewise, vary depending upon the city, but the average starting pay is anywhere between $20,000 and $30,000, mostly because there are more poor than rich cities. There has been a national movement in the last year or so to get municipal entry levels up to $23,000, but these agencies have a tendency to start you out low, then give you a big raise after the first year or two, where you stay salary-wise until about five years later when you are eligible for promotion thru seniority. It is possible to make six figures a year as police chief in one of the major metropolitan police departments.

The Courts

Jobs in the court sector, like probation and parole, have salaries that vary widely. Entry level pay ranges from $22,000 to $32,000, but federal positions range from $27,000 to $49,000 (some of the highest paid starting salaries in criminal justice are in federal probation), depending upon experience. Pre-employment in corrections or investigative work is usually the best preparation besides having a college degree. Raises are not that common, but when they happen, they are across the board and usually quite large. Don't forget that the permanent hiring of college interns takes place quite often in the judiciary branch of the criminal justice system.

Corrections

Correctional pay varies tremendously from state-to-state. The national average is $19,000 with places like Arkansas starting as low as $13,000 and places like New York and New Jersey starting at $30,000 and up. Federal corrections approximates the pay of top states, and has better benefits. In corrections, you will most likely receive regular salary increases every year along with easy-to-get merit raises until you are making about $35,000 or more by your fifth year. Promotion is also much more rapid in this sector due to turnover.

Fringes to look for include: a take-home vehicle, a bullet-proof vest and other equipment, a uniform allowance, tuition reimbursement, educational incentive pay, bilingual incentive pay, paid insurance, paid holidays and vacations, a 401k or 401h pension plan, accumulation of sick leave and comp time, family benefits, early retirement, and the chance to take promotional exams early.

To maximize your income potential, consider large agencies with lots of job titles, especially civilian ones. Big cities are your best bet, but bigger is not necessarily better if the murder rate is higher than the mortality rate. If you like the idea of working at the county level, remember that when the U.S. was divided up, more counties were allocated down East than out West. Georgia (following Texas) , for example, has more counties than any other state. Unless you're a loner, you'll gravitate toward the camaraderie of people like yourself.

DON'T FORGET: To check out Dr. O'Connor's Guide to Online Job Searching, our How to Get a Job in CJ page which walks you through the application, interview, and selection stages, and the resources available through North Carolina Wesleyan's Internship and Career Center.

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