Criminal Justice Certification in Rhode Island

When you wake up every morning looking forward to work, you know that you have a fulfilling career that makes a difference. There are plenty of career paths like this in the criminal justice industry, which spans a wide range of work settings and job duties.

In Rhode Island, the criminal justice industry works closely with other fields to improve the quality of life for Rhode Island residents (Providence Journal, 2016). The state recently received $350,000 in grants to address factors that often lead to criminality, including homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse.

Discover which criminal justice certificate fits your career goals and talents.

Get in touch with Rhode Island criminal justice programs to learn more.

What Kind of Criminal Justice Certificates are Available in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, there are two main types of certificates you may be able to earn. As a new student, you may look into earning a technical certificate. This type of program often requires fewer than 45 credits, possibly allowing you to graduate in two or three semesters.

If you have a Master’s degree, you may want to advance your skills with a post-graduate certificate. These programs also tend to be fairly short, but they do require an advanced degree and work experience in the criminal justice industry. Programs that do not require in-person work experience may give you the opportunity to complete your criminal justice certificate online.

Legal Office Assistant Technical Certificate Requirements (33 credits)

• Legal Forms and Terminology
  • Learn about different legal forms that you may come across during your paralegal work, how to fill them up properly, and how to file them on behalf of your supervising lawyers.
• Business Writing for Legal Professionals
  • Master business writing skills and put them to work with simple legal writing tasks.
• Legal Technology and Procedures
  • In this course, you get to work with the technology used in legal offices and get exposure to the common processes that paralegals are responsible for.
• Legal Research
  • Discover how to conduct legal research that saves time for your supervising lawyers and makes full use of available legal resources.

Criminal Justice Technical Certificate Requirements (40 credits)

• Crime and Criminal Justice
  • Get an overview of crime rates in the United States and Rhode Island while studying the theories of crime and criminology.
• Courts and Public Policy
  • Learn about different court processes, the role of courts in criminal justice, and public policies that define criminal justice careers.
• Juveniles and Justice
  • This course compares juvenile justice with adult criminal justice, looking at the different goals of each field and how juvenile offenders are treated differently from adult offenders.
• Victimology
  • Victims are the focus of this class. By the time you complete this course, you should have a thorough understanding of the support that victims need after a crime and how the criminal justice industry can protect them.

Law Enforcement Leadership Graduate Certificate Requirements (39 credits)

• Constitutional Law
  • Explore the in-depth field of constitutional law and its applications to law enforcement.
• Criminalistics
  • This course looks at criminal justice theories, different types of crime, and what you may deal with most frequently as a law enforcement supervisor.
• Criminal Procedure
  • Delve into the procedures you must follow when questioning a suspect, gathering evidence, or investigating a crime.
• Law of Evidence
  • Students in this class learn about the laws surrounding the collection, analysis, and use of evidence.

What Can I Do With a Criminal Justice Certificate in Rhode Island?

Upon earning your certificate, you should be ready to network with your professional resources and find a position that uses your education. If you decide to become a paralegal and work in a private law firm or legal assistance agency in Rhode Island, you may work for one supervising lawyer or an entire team of legal specialists.

The average salary for a Rhode Island paralegal is $57,090 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). Job openings for paralegals may see a 21% boost by 2030 (CareerOneStop, 2022).

Police officers perform patrols, traffic stops, and investigations to keep all of Rhode Island’s communities safe. They earn a mean income of $68,290 annually (BLS, 2022). Demand for police officers may increase 10% through 2030 (CareerOneStop, 2022).

With experience, you may be able to work as a police officer supervisor. In Rhode Island, the average salary for a police officer supervisor is $90,630 per year (BLS, 2022). CareerOneStop anticipates a 10% increase in job openings through 2030 (2022).

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Rhode Island contained here reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2023.

Take the next step to an exciting criminal justice career now. Request information from the Rhode Island programs listed below.

Online programs may not be available in all areas