What Will I Learn: Criminal Justice
If you’re interested in making your community a better place to work and live, then check out the Criminal Justice program [1] at Carrington College. To get you a few insider tips and give you a little evidence to work with, we spent some time with students in the program to find out more.
Why Should I Investigate Criminal Justice?
People come to the criminal justice field from all walks of life and for many reasons. Maybe you just believe in the power of the law, and want to devote your career to upholding it. Perhaps you can see a future working as a security guard, investigator or loss prevention officer[2]. For Criminal Justice student Brandon, his reason was simple – “I want to protect and serve, and help others in need.”
What Kind of Things Will I Learn?
The Criminal Justice program at Carrington is a mix of classroom work and hands-on training exercises, like exploring a mock crime scene. Among other things, you’ll learn investigation rules and methods, get a working knowledge of the U.S. criminal justice system, and gain the technology skills needed to be successful in the field. Listen to what these guys have been up to so far on the Criminal Justice program.
“Right now we’re learning how private investigators work. We’ve just learned about private security as well,” explains Criminal Justice student Kayrene.
Brandon got a little “CSI” with his answer…”Understanding crime scenes, fingerprinting, understanding how the murder happened!”
Student Vanessa says that she’s learned a ton so far; “If somebody stole something, you can find out by just fingerprints or even saliva,” she explains.
So What’s a Mock Crime Scene Exercise?
The hands-on exercises you’ll go through on the Carrington program are built to give you a real-world understanding of investigative methods…and that includes crime scenes.
“We did a walk around of a whole crime scene; we did the photographs, the fingerprinting, we got to collect evidence, we got to actually set up everything and do swabs,” explains Carrington student Felicia. “We got to kind of master every part of it, which was really cool. This is a big step up having this because it’s all hands-on,” she added.
Vanessa tells us how she was tasked with taking pictures of every item that was displayed as evidence at the mock scene, before bagging the evidence. Brandon was the ‘doccer’ – it was his job to document everything. “The person in front of me would take the pictures, and tell me what they took the pictures of, and then I’d write it down in the log,” he said.
Like many students Brandon enjoys the hands-on parts of the program; “I feel I learn better doing hands-on than just reading it. Being able to get my hands on things helps me understand how things work.”
Is a Criminal Justice Career Worth Closer Examination?
Until we figure out a way to rid the world of crime, there will be a need for people to work in the criminal justice system. If you’re interested in a career in the field, student Vanessa thinks this program warrants a closer look – “If you want to do fingerprinting, want to meet staff from the Mesa police department and get more into the field, it’s a great way to start!”
What Are You Waiting For?
If you think you have the mind of an investigator, if you like following clues, and the idea of a career in the criminal justice field appeals to you, what are you waiting for? To learn more about the Criminal Justice program at Carrington College, click here.
[1] Important information about the educational debt, earnings and completion rate of students who attended this program can be found at carrington.edu/cc/cj.
[2] Applicants for jobs in the criminal justice field may be subject to pre-employment screenings such as, but not limited to, criminal background checks, drug and/or alcohol testing, physical and/or psychological examinations and credit checks. Unsatisfactory screening results may disqualify an applicant for a position in the criminal justice field. Additional government required training programs or years of relevant experience may be necessary to obtain employment in this field.