CSI Agent
Angeline Low
11
Criminal Justice
CSI Agent
Angeline Low
ICDL
Instructor: Mr. Provenzano
Oct 17, 2011
Criminal Justice
With people who did not obey the law, that’s when all this justice is served. Popular
backgrounds thrill us with portrayals of local, state and federal enforcement agencies, crime
scene investigators and detectives who solve complicated crime troubles using their power of
knowledge and technology. But, they’re only some high-profile jobs when it comes to criminal
justice. Don’t you know that criminal justice have professionals work in both position, public
eye and obviously behind the scenes?
“Criminal Justice program teaches fundamentals of the criminal justice system and criminal
justice skills. The program offers a foundation in criminal law, legal procedures, criminal
evidence and criminology. Areas of study include law enforcement, the courts and
corrections. The upper-level courses include more in-depth study of the criminal justice
systems, along with instruction in areas such as criminalistics, victimology and computer
forensics.
Graduates of this program may pursue career opportunities in a variety of entry-level
positions involving criminal justice, including parole and probation, corrections and court
systems. The program also offers the academic preparation to pursue entry-level positions in
a broad spectrum of criminal justice careers in the private sector involving workplace security,
private investigations and insurance investigations as private detectives, safety officers and
security patrol officers.
This program of study may not qualify a graduate for a career in law enforcement involving
employment as a police officer or agent by federal, state, county, local or municipal
authorities. An applicant must contact the applicable governmental authority prior to
beginning the program at the school to determine if there are any specific requirements
and/or qualifications that a candidate must satisfy to be eligible for employment as a police
officer or agent by that authority. Those requirements and/or qualifications may include,
among other things, that a candidate must: (a) successfully complete an academy or other
specialized training; (b) be younger than a certain age; (c) pass a physical, mental and/or
personality examination; (d) pass a background check; (e) not have a criminal record; (f) be
a graduate from an institution that is regionally accredited (as opposed to nationally
accredited, such as ITT Technical Institute); (g) complete a certain number of credit hours or
a certain type of degree program at an accredited postsecondary educational institution; (h)
have served a certain number of years in the military; (i) have a certain number of years of
prior law enforcement experience; (j) be a U.S. citizen and/or a resident of the governmental
authority's jurisdiction; (k) have earned a bachelor or graduate degree in certain areas of
study; and/or (l) have a valid driver's license.” (ITT Technical Institute, 2011)
By going through this website, I found the basic things of criminal justice. Also, it has the
requirements that you need if you are qualified to take the job. Most importantly is that,
you have to take the course of criminal justice or anything that got to do with law
enforcement. For example, study of criminal justice systems, criminalistics, victimology
and also computer forensics.
“If you’re like most people, you probably think of a police officer when someone mentions the
term “criminal justice.” This is because police officers are, of course, an important part of the
criminal justice field, and many individuals do enter the criminal justice field to become police
officers. It is important to note, however, that a police officer is only one example of the many
different criminal justice careers an individual can pursue, and each of these careers will
allow an individual to perform a variety of different tasks in fact an individual may become an
attorney a private detective or a criminal psychologist in order to help people, to prevent
crime, and to perform a variety of other rewarding tasks.” (Criminal Justice Careers, 2011)
When it comes to criminal justice, that doesn’t mean it only involves with only cops,
police officer, or FBI Agents. There are other people out there who work behind the
scene to help solve the crimes. Each job has a different task. Such as a CSI Agent, where
he/she go to the crime scene and investigate what and how it happens. A forensic
scientist has a lot of things to do. There are a whole lot of different types of forensic
science, such as forensic accounting, forensic DNA analysis, forensic engineering,
forensic toxicology, forensic intelligence and so forth.
“The criminal justice field is becoming more competitive as qualified applicants take
advantage of the growing industry. Nearly every sector of the field, from law enforcement to
administrative work, is expected to grow at least 11 percent by 2016, according to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics. A college degree is now commonly expected for many positions.
However, just as with any type of college degree, advanced criminal justice degrees have
more marketability because the student who earns such a degree has taken rigorous courses
in the subject and are therefore more educated on any particular field than someone who
earns a lower-level degree. As a result, those who hold an advanced degree have more
employment opportunities. Yet, there are plenty of positions that cater to all degree levels.
Associate’s Degree
Law enforcement positions traditionally only required that the applicant possess a high school
diploma, but more and more police agencies are seeking out those with an Associate’s
degree in criminal justice as well, according to Penn State University. This change is due to
the increasing complexity of law enforcement, and hiring applicants who are already
knowledgeable about the criminal justice system makes more sense to employers than
having to train those who are unfamiliar with the subject. An Associate’s criminal justice
degree program typically covers the fundamentals of law enforcement, court systems,
corrections, theories of crime causations, and crime control policies.
Bachelor’s Degree
Earning a Bachelor’s degree shows employers that the applicant is dedicated and willing to
work hard, and luckily for degree holders, the Bachelor’s-level degree is the minimum
requirement of many criminal justice occupations. In addition to law enforcement positions,
degree holders can also work as private detectives or investigators, one of the fastest
growing occupations in the criminal justice field. Private investigators work with businesses or
individuals to work towards solving any issues or mysteries the client may have, from
suspicious employee injury claims to homicide cases. Bachelor’s degree holders can also
work as probation officers, FBI agents, in administration positions in judicial courts, and a
variety of other occupations. A Bachelor’s criminal justice degree program typically covers the
same topics as an Associate’s degree, including law enforcement, court systems, and crime
control policies, but a Bachelor’s level of education is more in depth. This allows Bachelor’s
degree graduates to take on more complex employment roles.
Master’s Degree
A Master’s degree in criminal justice allows for students to explore and become experts in a
particular aspect of criminal justice, such as in corrections or administration. In addition to the
opportunities open to those with an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree
graduates are also eligible to become instructors in criminal justice, social caseworkers, and
officers in court. Typically, those who go on to earn a Master’s degree are involved in social
work and use their Master’s education to advance their careers.
Doctoral Degree
those who complete a doctoral degree program in criminal justice typically go on to teach
university-level criminal justice courses. A doctoral degree program is much more intense
and concentrated than a Master’s program, according to Austin Peay State University.
Students must complete rigorous course work, comprehensive exams, exhibit strong writing
as well as verbal skills, as well complete a lengthy dissertation.”
(Criminal Justice USA)
By having different kind of degree, it gives you different types of career within the
Criminal Justice. Such as Associate Degree, they have tons of different types that related
to Criminal Justice. For Bachelor’s Degree that’s when those police agencies, private
detective and even investigators. It’s basically for people who are out in the criminal
justice field. Now for Master’s Degree they’re eligible of becoming a social caseworkers
or office in court. Not only all these are for Master’s Degree, it’s also qualified for
Associate and Bachelor’s Degree.
CSI Agent
“The role and responsibilities of the criminal investigator have changed dramatically over the
past 10 years, largely as a result of changes in technology, the law, the media and new
forms of communication- such as the Internet, cellular telephones, and imaging. Perhaps
most important has been the changing role of the investigator as a specialist, educated and
trained to be knowledgeable about complex systems, social differences, and organization
theory.
[Criminal Investigation Defined]
The investigation of crime encompasses “the collection of information and evidence for
indentifying, apprehending, and convicting suspected offenders,” or in the words of Professor
Ralph Turner, a pioneer in the field. “the reconstruction of a past event.” In essence, the
responsibilities of the investigator include the following:
I.
Determine whether a crime has been committed.
II.
Decide if the crime was committed within the investigator’s jurisdiction.
III.
Discover all facts pertaining to the complaint.
a. Gather and preserve physical evidence.
b. Develop and follow up all clues.
IV.
Recover stolen property.
V.
Identify the perpetrator or eliminate a suspect as the perpetrator.
VI.
Locate and apprehend the perpetrator.
VII.
Aid in the prosecution of the offender by providing evidence of guilt that is
admissible in court.
VIII.
Testify effectively as a witness in court.” (Jasmes W. Osterburg, 2011)
When I read this book, it gives me the detail of what a CSI Agent would do when it comes
to doing their job. How there’s a routine going on before, during and after they did the
job.
“Many see investigation as art or mysticism, a matter of hunches and theories. From this
perspective, arrests and convictions are fortuitous. To the contrary, investigation is largely
scientific. There is room for hunch and theory, but only within the confines of a rigid
methodology. An understanding of the principles of forensic science (which are the same as
for science generally) is essential to successful investigations. Many investigations are
resolved within hours of the crime commission, primarily as a result of victim and witness
statements, but these statements themselves may be bolstered at the time of trial by
corroborating forensic evidence.” (Becker, 2004)
In my opinion, I think being an investigator is really interesting. It gives you the skill of
solving problems. Not just that, it gives your mind some tricks that you won’t even
notice. By using proves of evidence from one thing to another, connect all those sources
into solving the problem.
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved 10 31, 2011, from Criminal Justice USA:
http://www.criminaljusticeusa.com/articles/types-of-criminal-justicedegrees.html
Becker, R. F. (2004). Criminal Investigation. In R. F. Becker, Criminal Investigation
(p. 500). Jones and Barlett Publishers, Inc.
Criminal Justice Careers. (2011). Retrieved October 27, 2011, from
http://www.criminaljusticecareersnow.com/types-of-criminal-justicecareers.html
ITT Technical Institute. (2011). Retrieved 10 25, 2011, from itt-tech.edu:
http://www.itt-tech.edu/teach/list/cj.cfm
Jasmes W. Osterburg, R. H. (2011). Criminal Investigation A Method for
Reconstructing the Past. In R. H. James W. Osterburg, Criminal Investigation A
Method for Reconstructing the Past (p. 680). Anderson.