The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice offers undergraduate and law students the opportunity to participate in an unpaid internship during their Fall or Spring semesters or during their 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. An Assistant Attorney General will have overall supervision of the program.
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 law 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 may also attend the Summer Intern Brown Bag Lunch Program (periodic speaking / training events, typically held at the Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton), at which Detectives and Deputy Attorneys General share their knowledge of investigations, substantive law, and litigation techniques.
Applications for the Internship Program should be submitted according to the schedule below:
Fall Session
– September through November
– Application Deadline: May 31
Spring Session
– January through April
– Application Deadline: October 31
Summer Session
– June through August
– Application Deadline: March 10
Please submit all of the requested documents and/or materials, listed below, via Email. You do not need to mail a duplicate copy. Thank you.
If you are an undergraduate or law student, and would like to be considered for a position in the Internship Program, applicants are required to submit a completed Internship Application, cover letter, resume, and most recent official transcript, (law students should also submit a legal writing sample). Applicants should review the Division of Criminal Justice website to express their interest in any of the various Bureaus within the Division as well as any geographical preferences. Every effort will be made to accommodate such interests, but no particular assignment is guaranteed.
Telephone contact: (609) 984-6500
E-mail contact: NJDCJInternship@njdcj.org
Internship Application Rev. 1/10/24
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) – Attn: Division of Criminal Justice Internship Coordinator.
