Salary Expectations for Criminal Justice Careers
Starting pay in criminal justice can be quite average or quite high, depending on the type of job you are looking for and the level of education you possess. Many jobs within the criminal justice system require no college education. The salaries, in these cases, are going to be much lower than the salary of someone with a four-year college degree.
Criminal Justice Salary Statistics
A criminal justice salary ranges from $24,000 to $170,700 depending on the position and the worker's experience. The following are some examples of criminal justice jobs and their average salaries:
- Captain: A police captain or sergeant averages an annual salary of $46,900 to $75,000. In many states, a Bachelor's degree is required for this criminal justice career. In addition, you may spend more than seven years as a police officer or detective before receiving a promotion to captain or sergeant.
- Corrections officer: Not only is the life of a corrections officer very stressful, the salaries are generally low. Corrections officers only need to have a high school diploma in order to land the job. The pay for a corrections officer starts at about $29,600 and can go up to about $45,800.
- Judge: On average, a judge earns between $134,000 and $170,700 per year. Judges must have a degree from an accredited law school, and most spend years working as lawyers before becoming a judge.
- Paralegal: Most paralegals hold their jobs while attending law school. Working as a lawyer's assistant, paralegals generally earn $31,500 to $58,000 per year. After earning a degree, paralegals will advance to the higher end of that pay scale.
- Patrolman: Patrolmen must have a high school diploma. In addition, many states now require patrolmen to have an Associate's degree. Starting salaries in this field are $32,500.
- Private investigator: Private investigators earn $24,000 to $54,900 per year. As private investigators are often self-employed, they must work hard to keep jobs rolling in. Often, an Associate's degree is all that is required, though some private investigators landed internships and bypassed college completely.
- Sheriff: A sheriff works for a specific county or town and provides supervision of that area's police force. Sheriffs typically hold a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice and have ten years experience as a patrolman. Salaries range from $81,600 to $102,000.
Clearly, the base salary for different criminal justice jobs depends on the job you hold. To quickly increase your starting pay in criminal justice, a college degree is necessary. Achieving your Master's degree can also help boost you to the higher end of the salary scale.
For those without a college degree, once you have your foot in the door, you will find that many departments throughout the United States provide tuition money to further your education. While you may be earning a lower wage than others, you can attend some college courses for free. Eventually, you will earn your degree and be at the top of the pay scale for your particular field.