A Career In The Criminal Justice System

Detectives are very important to the society because without them, a lot of crime would go unsolved. Detectives interview suspects, look for evidence at a crime scene, and fill paperwork to summarize the solved crime. The world would be way more crime-filled if there were no detectives. They solve cases that seem impossible and they put criminals in jail.
Although policing dates back to Medieval times, and they more than likely did investigations. The specific unit of detective is relatively new. The profession came into existence less than 300 years ago. Investigators on public payroll first appeared in 1865 when the Secret Service had to investigate counterfeit money. After the Civil War, private detective agencies came about. The most famous …show more content…
A common way to become a good candidate is to get a bachelors, then while getting on-the-job experience, work on getting an education online to get a masters (Criminal Justice School Info). Police detectives need a high school diploma or GED at least. Federal positions require a bachelor's degree (Criminal Justice USA). The best degrees are psychology, criminal justice, criminology, and human service (Criminal Justice USA). Candidates should be over the age of 20 and have a clean criminal record. They should also be physically fit (Criminal Justice USA). A candidate will participate in background checks, interviews, and drug screenings. After these steps they can advance to police training (Criminal Justice USA). Training typically takes place at training academies. The academies provide programs that teach law, firearms, and first aid (Criminal Justice USA). After they graduate from the academy they will start their career as an officer, then they will be promoted later on (Criminal Justice …show more content…
While other types specialize in certain types of crimes (Criminal Justice School Info). Homicide detectives work on cases with suspicious deaths. If they find out it is a murder, they try to solve the case (Criminal Justice School Info). Financial crimes detectives focus on white collar crime. No one is harmed physically, but financially (Criminal Justice School Info). White collar crimes are crimes that include mortgage fraud, money laundering, bribery, embezzlement, and identity theft (Criminal Justice School Info). Drug enforcement detectives handle illegal drug cases involving sales, possession, and trafficking (Criminal Justice School Info). Having detectives that work on specific cases make them more effective at their jobs (Criminal Justice School