Career
Bailiffs
Keep order in the courtroom.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband.
- Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings.
- Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact.
- Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees.
- Guard lodging of sequestered jury.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Monitoring, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $56,600 a year and 1,600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Criminal JusticeSee the degree →
- Criminal Justice/Police ScienceCIP 43.0107
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$76,210 · +3.5%
- Correctional Officers and Jailers$58,940 · -7.4%
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$106,040 · +3.3%
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators$93,790 · +0.2%
- First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers$77,970 · -2.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.