Criminal Justice (CRJ)

When people think of criminal justice, many think only of law enforcement officers. But the field is much broader than that. It can run the gamut from investigation to crisis intervention, pretrial release and probation, to victim assistance—all with the goal of helping to protect lives, property and to maintain peace in society.

What Criminal Justice Professionals Do

With a basic understanding of the law and the criminal justice system, criminal justice professionals may work in the prevention, enforcement and investigation field as police officers; in the corrections field in a variety of positions; or in the area of providing assistance to victims of violence and trauma. Those in the profession tend to be physically fit, have strong critical thinking skills, and are able to deal with all kinds of people in crisis. All criminal justice professionals need to be computer literate and have strong writing skills.

Criminal Justice Studies at Colorado Community Colleges

You can earn an Associate of General Studies degree (AGS) in Criminal Justice or an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) with an emphasis in law enforcement, victim assistance, or corrections. Certificates are available in investigations and victim assistance. A variety of courses are offered in the Criminal Justice program including but not limited to law, delinquency, criminal behavior, corrections, law-enforcement operations, crisis intervention, investigation strategies, and death and dying. The AAS and AGS (with core subjects in Criminal Justice) will transfer to the Metropolitan State College of Denver if you wish to pursue a four-year degree in the field. Many four-year colleges have criminal-justice programs within their sociology departments (CSU, UNC, CU). Speak with a criminal-justice advisor for more information.

In addition, some CRJ departments in the Colorado community colleges with which we partner (such as Arapahoe Community College or Trinidad State Junior College) operate a basic Law Enforcement Training Academy.  Credits from complection of this academy certificate may be applied toward the AAS degree in Criminal Justice.

The Academy is an intensive program that satisfies the training requirement for prospective or newly-hired law enforcement or parole officers, or for any position in Colorado requiring state certification as a peace officer. Requirements for the Academy certificate exceed the Colorado Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) for entry-level training with a local agency. Students include beginners as well as experienced officers who are seeking certification to work in Colorado. The requirements needed to complete this certificate represent a good start on (and may be applied toward) the two-year associate degree needed for entry-level positions with an increasing number of law-enforcement agencies. Admission into the Academy at these colleges is by separate application to the college.