About Criminal Justice
Green River College offers a strong and up-to-date Criminal Justice program. It’s a great choice if you’re interested in law, crime, and helping your community. Students can choose between two two-year degrees: Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice–Forensic Technology. We also offer certificates in Corrections, Law Enforcement, and Forensic & Fingerprint Technology.
Your job options will depend on the degree or certificate you earn. Many graduates find work in local, state, or federal law enforcement. Employers include police departments, sheriff’s offices, crime labs, correctional facilities, and juvenile detention centers.
If you focus on Corrections, you may work with people in jail, write reports, follow rules and laws, search individuals, and in some cases, deal with dangerous situations. Those in Fingerprint Technology may help solve crimes using lab tools, fingerprinting, and evidence analysis. Law Enforcement students may investigate crimes, arrest suspects, collect evidence, and testify in court.
Prepare to Succeed
To work in Criminal Justice, you need to care about people and treat others with respect. Good communication, strong judgment, and staying calm under pressure are important. Most jobs require little or no drug use and a clean criminal record. Our program is supported by professionals like police chiefs, detectives, and judges who help guide what we teach.
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Criminal Justice Faculty - Michelle Williams
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Associate Degree Options
Criminal Justice AAS-T
The Criminal Justice degree program is a broad discipline, encompassing the scientific
study of crime, criminals, the criminal justice system, treatment of offenders and
theories of crime causation from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Length of Program: 2 Years
Average Salary: $70,658
Criminal Justice - Forensic Technology AAS-T
The Criminal Justice - Forensic Technology degree program introduces individuals who
wish to gain employment in areas such as police support, crime scene investigations,
and fingerprint and trace evidence examination to the field of Forensic Technology.
Length of Program: 2 Years
Average Salary: $70,658
Certificate Options
Criminal Justice - Corrections Certificate
Terrific career opportunities are available to those seeking employment in federal,
state and local correctional facilities. The Seattle area is home to the King County
Detention facility SCORE, and other federal correctional facilities. Job potential
with local correctional agencies exists for Green River students, though job placement
is not guaranteed.
Length of Program: 1 Year
Average Salary: $62,816
Criminal Justice - Forensic and Fingerprint Technology Certificate
Green River College is one of the few institutions that offer training to become a
Fingerprint Technician. This short-term certificate can be completed in two or three
quarters and includes training in the new Automatic Fingerprint Identification System
(AFIS), classification, evidence presentation, court testimony preparation and basic
job skill preparation.
Length of Program: 1 Year
Average Salary: $88,015
Career Outlook
Employers include police agencies, sheriff's departments, correctional facilities,
forensic crime labs and juvenile detention facilities.
Graduates who concentrate in Corrections do such things as confine dangerous and aggressive individuals; prepare legal reports;
enforce institutional, state, and federal rules and regulations; search persons; subdue
violent inmates; testify in court; and in some extreme cases use deadly force.
The duties of people earning a certificate in Fingerprint Technology may involve use of laboratory equipment for evidence identification, fingerprinting,
crime scene analysis, evidence analysis and a variety of functions related to the
prosecution of criminal suspects.
Those concentrating in Law Enforcement conduct investigations; arrest suspects; search persons and places; gather evidence;
subdue violent individuals; enforce local, state, and federal laws; testify in court;
and in some extreme cases use deadly force.