What I've done:
This past semester I have given insight on the field of the criminal justice world. Most of my posts include various defense organizations, such as the FBI, CIA, and ATF, and certain colleges/courses that you should think about if you are interested in criminal justice as a career. My posts have links to sites about various topics that I discuss each week, so my readers can learn more about them.
My best post and why it's good:
My best blog post is "Foreign Language", which is where I explained the importance of knowing a second language in the criminal justice field. I believe that it is good because I have a lot of interesting information about how beneficial foreign language is for this line of work. For example, I talked about how special agents of the U.S Secret Service could get a 25% bonus pay if they know a second language. Also, this is my best post because it is one of the few posts that I was able to reflect on, which I think is key for writing a blog.
What I'd like to improve on:
Evidence/Research. I need to work on using more sources, and not rely primarily on Wikipedia. This also includes investing more time in research and searching more thoroughly for the best possible information for my readers. Another thing that I'd like to improve on is precision and depth. Lately, I've given only brief overviews of certain subjects that only give my readers small insight into my topic. I hope next semester that I can go more in depth, so that my readers can really see what goes on in the criminal justice world.
What I've learned about myself as a learner:
What I've learned about myself as a learner is that I need schedules in order to get something done. I can't just go to a computer and write my blog; I have to set aside a specific time, or I will veer away from my objective and get little accomplished. Also, I've learned that I am a visual learner. This means that when I find information on a topic, I have to read it thoroughly and highlight the most important material in order for me to make my blog effective in getting my point across to my readers.
Where I'd like to go:
Next semester, I'd liked to continue researching more criminal justice careers, and not provide just a brief overview, but go more into depth. I want to start explaining more thoroughly what tasks each job does in its line of work. Also, I'd like to go back to talking about college and what students can do now to help them see if they would be interested in a criminal justice career.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Since I have been talking about various agencies, such as the FBI and ATF, I knew it was a matter of time before I would cover the CIA. The CIA is the Central Intelligence Agency, which is one of the main intelligent-gathering agencies for the U.S. government, and is headquartered in Langley, Virginia. It succeeded the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was formed officially by the National Security Act of 1947, under President Harry S. Truman. The person in charge is known as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA), who is nominated by the President with consent of the Senate. As you can see, being in charge of the CIA seems parallel to picking a Supreme Court justice. The main functions of the CIA are gathering information about foreign governments/corporations; analyze that information in order to provide national security assessments to the President and US policymakers; and to conduct covert activities by its own employees. Here is a picture of the CIA logo, and of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
One similarity that the CIA and the FBI share is that new employees and existing employees must take a polygraph test. According to a fiscal 2013 budget, the CIA has five main priorities: counter terrorism, counterintelligence, cyber intelligence, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, and warning American leaders of overseas events. If you were to work for the CIA, you would see that there are a lot of jobs that require a wide variety of specialties, which include: operation officers working overseas recruiting foreign agents, intelligence analyst writing about nuclear forces/terrorism, and a security officer. Some of the professions that are still in demand are engineers, economists, accountants, and computer specialists. Sadly, there are no public tours of the CIA's headquarters because of security considerations and logistical problems, but there is a virtual tour available at www.cia.gov that can provide you with additional information and insight about the organization.
One similarity that the CIA and the FBI share is that new employees and existing employees must take a polygraph test. According to a fiscal 2013 budget, the CIA has five main priorities: counter terrorism, counterintelligence, cyber intelligence, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, and warning American leaders of overseas events. If you were to work for the CIA, you would see that there are a lot of jobs that require a wide variety of specialties, which include: operation officers working overseas recruiting foreign agents, intelligence analyst writing about nuclear forces/terrorism, and a security officer. Some of the professions that are still in demand are engineers, economists, accountants, and computer specialists. Sadly, there are no public tours of the CIA's headquarters because of security considerations and logistical problems, but there is a virtual tour available at www.cia.gov that can provide you with additional information and insight about the organization.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
The NSA is watching you . . .
One day I watched the movie, Good Will Hunting, where a kid played by Matt Damon goes through therapy for his damaged past. Despite being in trouble with the law several times, he is very smart, primarily in math; which catches the eye of the NSA, who offers to recruit him. After watching it, I looked up the NSA on my computer. The NSA is the National Security Agency, which is the one of the largest U.S. intelligence agencies (estimated 30,000-40,000 employees), and is the main manager of signals intelligence for the United States. The agency was started on November 4, 1952, and is headquartered in Fort Meade, Maryland. In fact, the NSA is actually the leading employer for the state of Maryland. Here is a picture of the NSA headquarters in Maryland.
The NSA is known quite well for their surveillance abilities. Under the Bush administration, the NSA was under the "terrorist surveillance program", which authorized them by executive order to be able to monitor (without search warrants) phone calls, Internet activity, and any other communication involving any party believed to be outside the U.S. According to the newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, the NSA has the single largest group of supercomputers. As a result, it makes sense that the NSA wanted Will Hunting because of his amazing math skills, which are important for computer science. The interesting thing about applying for the NSA is you must go through a polygraph test. It serves as a security protocol, and they even do it for existing employees every 5 years. Since the NSA takes care of the country's most sensitive and important intelligence activities, the application process can include a medical screening, drug test, and a extensive background check. Hopefully this insight that I have provided will spark interest in you to start a career in criminal justice world.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
This past week for my AP English class we started the book, Columbine, by Dave Cullen. In this book, the author explains with great detail the shooting and its effects on the community. The book mentioned how the ATF had to come to the school to check that everything was all clear. I researched ATF and learned that the acronym stands for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This bureau is a federal law enforcement organization consisting of 4,770 employees. Its main responsibilities are pretty self-explanatory from the name: investigating violations of federal alcohol/tobacco tax regulations, and violations of federal firearms/explosives laws. To be more specific, the ATF works with the investigation of bombings/acts of arson, track illegal trafficking of alcohol/tobacco products, and many other activities in conjunction with task forces made up of state/federal law enforcement officers. Here are pictures of an ATF Special Response Team (Special Weapons and Tactics team for the ATF) and of an ATF building.
In regard to applying, the ATF is competitive; about 5% of applicants actually get hired. In order to become an ATF agent, you need to complete a 27 week training program, which is one of the longest training programs in the United States (much longer that the training process for FBI, CIA, etc.) Despite their smaller size, there are many field offices throughout the nation: Atlanta, GA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Paul, MN; Philadelphia, PA. However, there are field offices outside the country, such as in Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, and Colombia. Once becoming an official member of the ATF, you are given a Glock 22 or a Glock 27 as a sidearm. If you are part of the Special Response Team (the picture above), then you are armed with a Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun. The nice thing about being an ATF Special Agent is that they are given lead investigative authority in any federal crime committed with a firearm or explosive. Hopefully, this blog post has given you some interest in the ATF or has made you start to consider pursuing a criminal justice career in the future.
In regard to applying, the ATF is competitive; about 5% of applicants actually get hired. In order to become an ATF agent, you need to complete a 27 week training program, which is one of the longest training programs in the United States (much longer that the training process for FBI, CIA, etc.) Despite their smaller size, there are many field offices throughout the nation: Atlanta, GA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Paul, MN; Philadelphia, PA. However, there are field offices outside the country, such as in Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, and Colombia. Once becoming an official member of the ATF, you are given a Glock 22 or a Glock 27 as a sidearm. If you are part of the Special Response Team (the picture above), then you are armed with a Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun. The nice thing about being an ATF Special Agent is that they are given lead investigative authority in any federal crime committed with a firearm or explosive. Hopefully, this blog post has given you some interest in the ATF or has made you start to consider pursuing a criminal justice career in the future.
Monday, October 28, 2013
U.S. Marshals
In the past few weeks in my AP United States History class, we have been learning about John Marshall and certain Supreme Court decisions, such as Marbury v. Madison, and Dartmouth College v. Woodward. However, during a lecture, my teacher talked about how the Supreme Court had no authority to enforce the law that it declared. As a result, a question came to mind: How does the Supreme Court enforce its laws? I tried to answer this question, and soon found out that the U.S. Marshal Service is a separate U.S. agency that is the enforcement arm of U.S. Federal Courts. It was founded by the Judiciary Act of 1789, which stated that the U.S. Marshals' main function was law enforcement. Thus, they are the oldest American federal law enforcement office. Here are some pictures of the responsibilities of the U.S. Marshal Service.
Some of the main responsibilities of a U.S. Marshal include: protection of the officers of the court, assistance in court security/prison transport, and for seeking fugitives. Through the years, the U.S. Marshals have done many interesting missions. Some examples of these missions are enforcing Prohibition during the 1920s, protecting American athletes during the Olympics, and being in charge of law enforcement of U.S. personnel in Antarctica since 1989. As you can see, the U.S Marshal Service is quite an exciting job, and is one that I found intriguing. Hopefully, I have helped you grow a passion for criminal justice jobs, just like I do.
Some of the main responsibilities of a U.S. Marshal include: protection of the officers of the court, assistance in court security/prison transport, and for seeking fugitives. Through the years, the U.S. Marshals have done many interesting missions. Some examples of these missions are enforcing Prohibition during the 1920s, protecting American athletes during the Olympics, and being in charge of law enforcement of U.S. personnel in Antarctica since 1989. As you can see, the U.S Marshal Service is quite an exciting job, and is one that I found intriguing. Hopefully, I have helped you grow a passion for criminal justice jobs, just like I do.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Since I have informed you on certain college courses that apply to criminal justice and colleges that are good for this degree, I now want get to the fun part: talking about the jobs themselves. In order to be able to effectively explain each job, I received a book a few weeks ago that analyzes each career of the criminal justice world. The first one that caught my eye was the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Here are pictures of the FBI field office in Washington D.C., and of FBI agents gathering evidence.
This book told me a nice overview of the FBI. To start with the basics, it's the main investigative organization of the federal government. As a result, the FBI has a lot of responsibilities, such as investigating organized crime, bank robbery, financial crime, espionage, terrorism, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and having to inquire into the violations of over 260 laws. If you were to become a special agent, you could conduct surveillance, track movement of stolen property, and participate in undercover assignments. The FBI does provide important services to other law enforcement agencies in the country, such as providing their laboratory (the largest criminal laboratory in the world) without cost to other police organizations. Hopefully after reading this, you now have a better understanding of the FBI or have a new interest in joining it. Next week, I will continue to explain certain criminal justice careers.
This book told me a nice overview of the FBI. To start with the basics, it's the main investigative organization of the federal government. As a result, the FBI has a lot of responsibilities, such as investigating organized crime, bank robbery, financial crime, espionage, terrorism, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and having to inquire into the violations of over 260 laws. If you were to become a special agent, you could conduct surveillance, track movement of stolen property, and participate in undercover assignments. The FBI does provide important services to other law enforcement agencies in the country, such as providing their laboratory (the largest criminal laboratory in the world) without cost to other police organizations. Hopefully after reading this, you now have a better understanding of the FBI or have a new interest in joining it. Next week, I will continue to explain certain criminal justice careers.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Foreign Language
Lately, I've been curious about certain college courses that are beneficial or required for a criminal justice career. Searching through various sites, many articles talked about the importance of proficiency in a foreign language, such as Arabic, which happens to be one of the six official languages of the United Nations (the other five languages: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Russian). This being so, the Federal Government has increasingly stressed the value of Arabic, as a language vital to US security. Here is a picture of the flags at the UN Headquarters in New York, and a picture of a map identifying all the countries and their specific UN language.
George Washington University (GW), which is located in Washington D.C., stood out to me because it offers a major and minor in Arabic. At this university, they offer students a multitude of opportunities, such as being able to further their academic knowledge in Arabic by studying comparative literature and international affairs. Also, a requirement for a major in Arabic is overseas studies for a semester, where you would go to a country that natively speak Arabic. It's a great experience! By the end of this program, GW graduates will be well-suited to take on jobs such as counter-terrorism experts, interpreters, and Foreign Service Officers.
After seeing how a foreign language works in a college setting, I wanted to grasp how you could apply it to a career. The United States Secret Service values the significance of knowing a foreign language. This government agency is mainly known for protecting the president and his family, however, they also do criminal investigations of financial crime and computer-based attacks on the nation's infrastructure. Special agents could get a 25% bonus pay if they are able to speak a second language with sufficient accuracy. Wow! Four years of Spanish in high school is really beneficial! After reading this, I am motivated to continue on with Spanish into college, so that I may be able to get a better paying job. It's amazing how lucky I am to be able to start studying a foreign language at such a young age. Next week, I will begin talking about job descriptions of certain criminal justice careers.
George Washington University (GW), which is located in Washington D.C., stood out to me because it offers a major and minor in Arabic. At this university, they offer students a multitude of opportunities, such as being able to further their academic knowledge in Arabic by studying comparative literature and international affairs. Also, a requirement for a major in Arabic is overseas studies for a semester, where you would go to a country that natively speak Arabic. It's a great experience! By the end of this program, GW graduates will be well-suited to take on jobs such as counter-terrorism experts, interpreters, and Foreign Service Officers.
After seeing how a foreign language works in a college setting, I wanted to grasp how you could apply it to a career. The United States Secret Service values the significance of knowing a foreign language. This government agency is mainly known for protecting the president and his family, however, they also do criminal investigations of financial crime and computer-based attacks on the nation's infrastructure. Special agents could get a 25% bonus pay if they are able to speak a second language with sufficient accuracy. Wow! Four years of Spanish in high school is really beneficial! After reading this, I am motivated to continue on with Spanish into college, so that I may be able to get a better paying job. It's amazing how lucky I am to be able to start studying a foreign language at such a young age. Next week, I will begin talking about job descriptions of certain criminal justice careers.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Forensic Science
Last week, I gave a short summary about what kind of courses you could take in college in order to get your criminal justice degree. Now, I want to explain more about one of these courses that I found interesting to me. I went on the internet and found a site that had a lot of undergraduate and graduate courses. I noticed Forensic Science was one of the undergraduate courses offered by most criminal justice programs. Before I started to research more about it, I always thought forensics was only surveying dead bodies at crime scenes.
However, it's way more than that; it includes scientific analysis/identification of evidence and documents, interpretation of medical reports, and a scientific way to help juries/attorneys in understanding and solving a case. I looked for some good colleges that offer this degree and saw a lot of them. A few colleges that stood out to me were Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University, and UC Davis, which happened to be at the top of the list. Syracuse offers many master degrees in forensic science, and talks about how the CIA/FBI offer internships that students can participate in. Pennsylvania State University offers a Masters of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in forensic science and gives you the chance to be part of the Penn State Forensic Science Club. If interested in these colleges, go to http://educationcareerarticles.com/education-articles/higher-education-articles/top-forensic-science-colleges-in-the-united-states/
After seeing this, I wanted to learn more about forensic science as a profession. I searched the web, and saw that a forensic scientist should have a major in science like physics, chemistry, and biology. Some requirements that I saw for a forensic scientist is to be able to re-create crime scenes, collect/analyze DNA samples, and being comfortable to testify as an expert witness of what may have happened at a crime scene. Next week, I will continue to examine certain criminal justice courses and find out how you can apply them to an everyday job.
After seeing this, I wanted to learn more about forensic science as a profession. I searched the web, and saw that a forensic scientist should have a major in science like physics, chemistry, and biology. Some requirements that I saw for a forensic scientist is to be able to re-create crime scenes, collect/analyze DNA samples, and being comfortable to testify as an expert witness of what may have happened at a crime scene. Next week, I will continue to examine certain criminal justice courses and find out how you can apply them to an everyday job.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Colleges for Criminal Justice
Last week, I began my topic on criminal justice, and ended up talking about colleges with these types of degrees. Now, I want to go into more detail about what are some requirements that you need in order to get into these certain colleges, and what kind of courses you would take to get a criminal justice degree. My last post had a link to the top 20 criminal justice colleges, and I chose to research American University because I have never heard of this college. I looked it up and saw that it is located in Washington D.C., which I bet is the best place to get a criminal justice degree. I was on their website when I stumbled upon this beautiful photo of the campus.
I was looking up some of its basic information, and found its, "Admitted Student Profile for Fall 2013", which will probably give you an idea what kind of grades you need to get in. The average GPA was 3.56-4.02, the average SAT was 1210-1387, and the average ACT was 27-31. From these results, you can see that American University is quite a selective school. Then I researched some of its minimum admission requirements and found out that you need 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 2 years of science, 2 years of social science, and 2 years of foreign language. I finally discovered that American University offers a B.A. in Justice and Law that gives students an in-depth understanding if the criminal justice system.
After looking at American University, I researched what courses you would take for a criminal justice degree. Some core courses I found for a B.A. in criminology were: criminal justice ethics, and research methods and analysis in criminology. Then, there were some elective courses that you could take that include: computer crime, forensics, and intro to homeland security. These all seemed interesting and could apply for all sorts of jobs. Next week, I will go into even more depth on what you do in college to get a criminal justice degree, and begin talking about what jobs you are able to apply for. If interested in American University, check out their website at http://american.edu/ for more information. Also, check out this nice School of Public Affairs building at American University! That could be you some day. . .
Sunday, September 15, 2013
The Start of the Criminal Justice League
Throughout this week, I have been curious on how to start my criminal justice blog. I decided to just start with the basics and ask myself, "What is criminal justice?" I looked it up on Wikipedia and it said: criminal justice is a system of institutions of government directed at upholding social control, preventing/diminishing crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties. After reading it, I thought it was a lot to take in. Basically, I interpreted it as: criminal justice is the study of how to stop crime and deal with people who violate the law. I am a junior in high school, and have been looking at this certain field of study quite extensively because I would like to pick a major by the time I go off to college. As a result, another question I wanted to answer was, “What are some good colleges that you can get a degree in criminal justice?” One college that caught my eye was University of Pennsylvania, which happened to be at the top of the list (probably because it’s an Ivy League school). I found this picture of a quad in University of Pennsylvania and thought it was stunning.
In the following weeks, I will go into more detail about the various colleges to go to, and what you do in order to get a criminal justice degree. Now, let’s get out there and make this world a better, safer place!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
My Project Plan
Hello there! My name is Matthew Ludwig. I am creating a weekly blog about the world of criminal justice. I am a junior in high school and have been looking for certain career paths, and been getting increasingly interested in this subject. Throughout this year, I will be researching the criminal justice profession as a whole, such as some good colleges that offer this degree, what jobs that you can get, and what you do in these jobs. Also, I hope to be able to clarify any misconceptions about what happens in certain national defense organizations (e.g. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency), and show that it is not always the same as an action movie, like "Salt" or "The Bourne Identity." By reading my blog, I hope you will start to have an interest in criminal justice like I do, and begin thinking of having a possible career in this field of study. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to submit them, and I will try to answer them with the best of my ability. I am looking forward to doing this blog, and to learn along the way with you about the world of criminal justice!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)