Crime Scene Investigator
Links:
ASU
Justice Studies Home Page
Employment
in Crime Scene Investigation
Student Tution at ASU
Intro
What made me decide on the Career I wanted to pursue? For as long as I can remember I felt that I wanted to be cop. But now, I feel that the work of a crime scene investigator will be more challenging and much more fascinating then being a police officer. I wanted to work with others to the best of my ability and make a difference in peoples lives, whether it will be solving a crime or helping to catch a criminal. The purpose of this webpage is to guide an individual who may be considering a major in Justice Studies.
What is Justice Studies? "Justice Studies examines the origin, criteria, process, change and impact of social and moral rules about fairness and what is just" (ASU). According to ASU webpage, " defines justice as an interdisciplinary social science that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees that focus on various dimensions of justice, including criminal justice, law and society, environmental issues, race, gender, minority groups, mass media, as well as global concerns. For this particular major, students should have a good background with research, writing skills, and computer literacy to pursue various occupations upon graduation"(ASU).
General Requirements
Information about what classes
to take for this Major are stated as the following, "They must have at
least a "C" in each of the required JUS courses - JUS 105 (or 305), 301,
302, and 303 - and a minimum average GPA of 2.50 for these four classes.
For non-Justice Studies students to take a 300-level JUS course, they must
have a minimum of 56 earned semester hours (junior status) and a minimum
cumulative GPA of 2.00. Non-Justice Studies students may take JUS 301,
302, and 303 with school approval" (ASU).
Suggested Schedule (Pre-Major)
First Semester
Semester Hours
JUS 105 - Introduction to Justice Studies (Justice
Studies Requirement - J1)
3
ENG 101 - 1st Year Composition (University
Requirement)
3
University Humanities and/or Social/Behavioral
Science Requirement - HU/SB
3
UNI 100 or 101 (University Elective Skill
Development Course)
1-3
ENG 101 - 1st Year Composition (University
Requirement)
3
Total
12-15
Second Semester
Semester Hours
ENG 102 - 1st Year Composition (University
Requirement)
3
College of Public Programs Computer Science
Requirement - CS
3
University Humanities and/or Social Behavioral
Science Requirement - HU/SB
3
JUS 100 - The Justice System (Justice Studies
Elective - J4)
1-3
University Natural Science Lab Requirement - SQ
4
Total
13-16
Third Semester
Semester Hours
College of Public Programs Communication
Requirement
3
College of Public Programs Writing Competence
Requirement - L
3
University Humanities and/or Social Behavioral
Science Requirement - HU/SB
3
JUS 200 - Concepts and Issues of Justice (Justice
Studies Elective - J4)
1-3
University Natural Science Lab Requirement - SG
4
Total
13-16
Fourth Semester
Semester Hours
JUS 301 - Research in Justice Studies (Justice
Studies Requirement - J1)
3
JUS 302 - Basic Statistical Analysis (Justice Studies
Requirement - J1)
3
JUS 303 - Justice Theory (Justice Studies
Requirement - J1)
3
University Humanities and/or Social Behavioral
Science Requirement - HU/SB
3
Related Field (J-5)
3
Total
12-15
In this major I will pursue a career in Crime Scene investigation. A Crime Scene Investigator is responsible for identifying, collection, and preserving evidence at crime scene investigations in support of law enforcement activities. According to Crime Scene Investigators.net, an employee as a crime scene investigator "performs the following duties: photographs crime and accident scenes including burglaries, robberies, deaths, thefts, autopsies, and assault victims to record the appearance of evidence using highly-skilled photographic and evidence-gathering techniques; identifies, collects, and secures physical evidences such as blood, body fluids, hair, and fibers, firearms, and narcotics for laboratory testing and use as evidence in criminal prosecutions. An investigator may also research for, retrieve, and provide security information such as fingerprint cards, mug shots, and case reports to law enforcement personnel and authorized agencies" (CSI.net). One major aspect of the duties is to establish and maintain records to ensure of custody of physical evidence. They are responsible for performing related duties as required.
According to Crime scene.net,
"Education and Experience required for this career is a high school diploma
or a GED. Requires at least one year of experience involving photography,
or at least one-year law enforcement experience in evidence collection,
report talking, investigation, or fingerprinting. Course work in photography
is highly desirable"(CSI.net). A Criminal Justice degree, related science
degree, or a degree in a related field, Federal Bureau of Investigation
training in the field of forensics, or course work in the areas of forensic
photography, evidence collection, or latent fingerprint collection may
substitute for experience requirements. You must also have the knowledge
of the law enforcement activities and the organization of a police department
and the functions of a police identification laboratory(CSI.net).
Salary
In an Average Scale, How much does a Crime Scene investigator make? “In Mesa Arizona their average salary is $30,000 to $40,000.” (Employment 1) A crime scene search manager makes about $45,000- $55,000 a year. A forensic Specialist makes about $22.00 to $27.00 hourly. For a law enforcement career the starting hourly wage runs to $17.86 to $25.55. All careers have great benefits to go along with it. “But as salaries go the overall salary is between $20,000-$50,000”(CSI).
Overall under this particular
major there are many career opportunities that a person can follow. It
ranges from Administration in the court systems to many jobs in Law enforcement.
Relatively there is a lot of
jobs out there but the catch is to find the one that best describes you.
On further information on how to plan your future is found in the followinghttp://mapping-your-future.org/planning/
__________________________________________________________________________
Works Cited
ASU College of Public Programs."Welcome
to the school of Justice Studies" (2002)
www.asu.edu/copp/justice (4/11/02).
ICSIA, International Crime Scene Investigator's Association . " ICSIA's CSI FAQ File"(10/2000) www.icsia.com/faq.html (4/11/02).
Crime Scene Investigator.net
"Job Descriptions"(Jan/2002) http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/employment.html
(4/11/02).
By: Jenny Castillon