Introduction On Court Room Careers: Bailiffs

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A courtroom can only function if everyone is well-behaved; there has to be "order in the court." And the person most responsible for enforcing this order is the bailiff. If you've ever seen a courtroom drama or a real-life courtroom show like The People's Court, then you should have a good idea of some of the things a bailiff does.

A bailiff is a law enforcement professional who helps the judge and provides security for everyone who gathers for a trial. Bailiffs also take care of such administrative tasks as bringing defendants from their jail cells to the courtroom and back again, serving court notices such as subpoenas, eviction notices, and lawsuits to the proper parties, and making sure a courtroom has all the supplies it needs for a trial.

A bailiff really goes into action during a trial. It's the bailiff who opens the court and introduces the judge, telling everyone present to stand when she or he enters the room. The bailiff also administers the oath that everyone who takes the stand must swear to uphold; this is the famous oath in which everyone promises to tell the whole truth, so help them God. The bailiff calls witnesses up, carries pieces of evidence up to the judge and to the witnesses when these pieces are requested, and controls any necessary equipment during the trial-for instance, a film projector to display a slideshow of evidence.

The bailiff makes sure that no one in the courtroom makes a noise or causes any other kind of distraction, and he or she also closes the court at the end of a trial. When a jury is deliberating, the bailiff serves as the go-between for the jurors and the attorneys and the judge should the jury have any questions. And the bailiff alerts everyone involved in a trial when the jury has reached a verdict.

How do you become a bailiff? You should complete high school and go on to study criminal justice or law enforcement in a program that will earn you either an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree. Most bailiffs serve as a police officer, or in some other law enforcement position within the court system before they achieve the position of bailiff. You also have to undergo a thorough background check before you can become a bailiff, and some states set an age limit for bailiffs. The average salary for a bailiff is about thirty-eight thousand dollars a year. Successful bailiffs not only know all about courtroom proceedings, but they also have good people skills in order to interact well with all the people they come into contact with: judges, jurors, attorneys and defendants. Some states require bailiffs to know CPR and first aid as well.

The job prospects for bailiffs look good for the next decade, as many bailiffs will be retiring soon and will need to be replaced. Plus, our population is growing and our court system has to grow along with it.


About the Author:
Interested in knowing what the average court reporter salaries are? Discover this and other court reporter career information at http://www.courtreportersalarydata.com



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