Division of Criminal Justice Student Internship

Department Internship Overview

A number of the Department’s Divisions offer unpaid student internships. Each Division runs its own program in coordination with the Division of Administration, Human Resource Management, with different deadlines and application requirements, as described below. To apply for an internship, submit your materials using the contact information provided by the relevant Division.

• Fall session (September–November): Apply by July 15th
• Spring session (January–May): Apply by November 15th
• Summer session (May–August): Apply by March 15th

Division of Criminal Justice

The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) offers undergraduate, graduate, and law students the opportunity to participate in an unpaid internship during their Spring semester and Summer break. If accepted into the program, students will be assigned to one of the Division’s Bureaus or supporting Units and Offices. Undergraduate or law students will be supervised by a Detective or a Deputy Attorney General, respectively. Locations may include Trenton, Cedar Knolls, Whippany, and Cherry Hill.

Undergraduate interns will be exposed to a variety of investigative aspects for the interdiction and prosecution of violations of criminal law, which will enhance undergraduate studies in Criminal Justice or related forensic or technical fields of study. Law interns will be exposed to a variety of substantive areas of New Jersey criminal law and are expected to have excellent legal research and legal writing skills. All interns are expected to have outstanding interpersonal communication skills.

Beyond the duties and responsibilities assigned by each intern’s supervisor, interns are provided opportunities to observe and work with Detectives and Deputy Attorneys General in the course of their normal job duties, including appearances before the Law Division (Criminal Part), Appellate Division, and, occasionally, the New Jersey Supreme Court. Interns are also strongly encouraged to attend the weekly programing highlighting different bureaus within DCJ, the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).

Applications for the Internship Program should be submitted according to the schedule below:

Spring Session – Spring Application Form– January through April– Application Period: September 1 – September 30

Summer Session – Summer Application Form– May through August

– Application Period: January 1 – January 31

**Please note that the Division of Criminal Justice is only hosting a Summer and Spring Internship Program at this time**

Please submit all of the requested documents and/or materials, listed below, via the application form. If we do not receive all required documents, in the prescribed format, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will be removed from the application process.

If you are an undergraduate, graduate, or law student, and would like to be considered for an unpaid position in the Internship Program, applicants are required to submit a completed Internship Application, cover letter, resume, and most recent official transcript. Law students are also required to submit a legal writing sample.

E-mail contact: NJDCJInternship@njdcj.org

NOTE: If you are offered a position in the internship program you must complete a Confidential Background Investigation Clearance Form.Please complete all 5 pages of the form, and email the original notarized form, (Subject Line – Background Investigation Clearance Form – YOUR LAST NAME).