Human Services
Human Services

Criminal Justice

Location:

Berrien Springs High School

Career Opportunities Include:
 

  • Police Officer
  • Practice of Law
  • Correctional Officer
  • Court Staff
  • Probation Officer
  • Parole Officer

GRADES: 11-12

Class Description

This class will expose the student to three college-level criminal justice curriculum classes offered in conjunction with Berrien Springs High School and directed at the advanced student.

The third class is entitled, Seminar in Criminal Justice and Public Safety (lawe251).  The seminar class discusses current topics/problems in criminal justice and public safety areas.  Special issues are discussed and qualified students are assigned to agencies or departments as interns in the criminal justice system.  

Courses in CPR and Emergency First Aid are incorporated into this program of study.  In addition to the academic setting, students participate in field trips and will experience guest lectures in each field of study. With the cooperation of the law enforcement community, students also receive hands-on courses in basic crash reconstruction and crime scene investigations.  This class gives excellent exposure to students that are interested in further knowledge of, or a career in, the criminal justice field. Students may obtain up to 11.5 credit hours of direct credit for this course of study through Lake Michigan College.

*This course may be available for college credit through Lake Michigan College.

Content Areas

n/a

Career Outlook

Uniformed police officers who work in municipal police departments of various sizes, small communities, and rural areas have general law enforcement duties including maintaining regular patrols and responding to calls for service. They may direct traffic at the scene of a fire, investigate a burglary, or give first aid to an accident victim.

Competition should remain intense for higher-paying jobs with State and Federal agencies and police departments in affluent areas; opportunities will be better in local and special police departments that offer relatively low salaries or in urban communities where the crime rate is relatively high.

The median annual wage of police and detectives was $65,170 in 2019. The median annual wage of probation officers and correctional treatment specialists was $54,290 in 2019.

 

Source: United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019-20 Occupational Outlook Handbook: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Updated 11/20/2020