Criminal Justice Internships

Requirements:

• You must currently be a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior at Weber State University
• All majors are accepted
• To be eligible for CJ 4860, you must have successfully completed (a grade of "C" or better):
  • CJ 1010 - Introduction to Criminal Justice AND two of the following courses:
    • CJ 1300 - Corrections: History, Theory, and Practice
    • CJ 1330 - Criminal Law and Courts
    • CJ 2300 - Policing: History, Theory, and Practice
• Some agencies require a completed background investigation prior to being accepted as an intern. This can take time, so please plan ahead.
• Your internship must be a new experience and cannot involve activities/duties that you have already participated in (now or in the past).
• You cannot conduct your internship at your place of employment unless you submit a signed/dated letter from the head of your agency (for example, police chief or sheriff) on official letterhead verifying that your internship experience:
  • Is in a criminal justice-related job category that differs from your employment,
  • Will not overlap any of your current job duties,
  • Will not be completed during a time you're being paid by your employer and
  • Will be supervised by someone unrelated to your current job category.
• You cannot be supervised by a family member or friend.

Finding an Internship:

• Review the Possible Internship Sites for ideas. 
  • If you would like to intern at another location, contact Prof. Jeffs to get approval. She is delighted to approve internships that are related to the criminal justice field, so please just talk to her.
• Contact those sites that interest you. 
  • When you contact them, send a resume, indicate what you hope to gain from the internship, and if you have restrictions on your availability.
• Once you have a site that is willing to accept you as an intern, sign up to take CJ 4860 for the semester you will be doing the internship.
• Download and fill out the two forms at the bottom of this page (Field Experience Agreement & the Release and Waiver of Liability form). 
  • Once completed (including all necessary dates/signatures), submit your forms via the Canvas assignment page in the first two weeks of the semester.

Completing the Internship:

• You must complete a minimum of 120 hours volunteering during the semester (3 credits)
• You and the agency set your hours and schedule. Some are 8–5, Monday–Friday, others are 24/7, so work with the agency to determine the best fit for your schedule.
• If you’d like to be paid (everyone should say yes to this), go to WSU HIEES Pays website and fill out the paperwork, so you can get paid as well as class credit.
• Treat the internship like a job interview. Even if the agency is not hiring, they can help you network and find a job.

Questions:

• For more information on criminal justice internships, questions on the requirements, or guidance on what might be a good fit for your career goals, please contact the Internship Director (Michelle Jeffs). 

For a list of potential internship sites, please click on the following link. NOTE: You are not limited to these sites. WSU has established relationships with these agencies, but you can arrange one somewhere else based on your location and interests and get it approved by Prof. Jeffs)

• Internship Sites for the Department of Criminal Justice

Download and complete the following forms

 

 Field Experience Agreement  Release and Waiver of Liability 

When you've completed all of your paperwork and have the appropriate forms signed/dated, turn the documents into Canvas in the "Forms Assignment" or turn them into Shellie Weeks in the Department of Criminal Justice main office by the second Friday of the semester you plan to attend.