Internships

We offer our students the chance to earn six 400-level Criminal Justice course credits while volunteering or working in a professional position with a variety of agencies. Look into these opportunities.

If you choose not to take part in our internship program, you will need to take two 400-level Criminal Justice courses instead.

Our internships are open primarily to Criminal Justice majors in Upper Division who maintain at last a 2.2 GPA, but exceptions can be made at the discretion of the instructor. For questions regarding our internship program, please contact the internship coordinator, Paula Broussard.

The primary purpose of completing an internship is to provide you with an opportunity to immerse yourself into a professional environment with supervised and hands-on experience which allows you to display, apply, and practice previously learned classroom knowledge and skills. The following agencies host interns from the Criminal Justice Department, so please visit their websites for more information. In addition, the Internship Coordinator will work with students who want to intern at agencies that are not listed.

These agencies are legal agencies for students interested in working in law related fields, lawyers, law clerks, legal secretaries. These are especially important internships for students interested in law school.

• 15th Judicial District Public Defender

• 16th Judicial District Public Defender

  • The 15th and 16th District Public Defender Offices are focused on providing indigent defenders with their Constitutional Right to Appointed Counsel. The 15th Judicial District is Acadia, Vermilion and Lafayette parishes. While the 16th Judicial District is housed in New Iberia and covers eight sections of District Court, five City Courts (Franklin, New Iberia, Jeanerette, Breaux Bridge and Morgan City), and two Mayor's Courts (Patterson and St. Martinville).

• Acadiana Legal Services

  • Acadiana Legal Services is a not for profit agency that handles non criminal legal cases for qualifying applicants. Cases include consumer, education, family, juvenile, health and civil rights.

• CASA of SOLA

  • CASA of SOLA is a not for profit agency that uses trained community volunteers to speak up for the best interest of abused and neglected children in court.

• Dill Law Firm

  • The Dill Law Firm is a private firm specializing in Insurance Defense. Their services include Client Education, Estate Planning, Successions, Elder Law, First Response, and Litigation.

• Garrett Law Firm

  • The Garrett Law Firm is a private firm specializing in Family Law, Criminal Defense, and Personal Injury.

These agencies are Law Enforcement agencies. These agencies will allow students the chance to observe the day to day duties of Police Offices at the local, state and federal level.

• Lafayette City Police Department
  • Is a local law enforcement agency focused on serving the community with a sense of courage, dedication, compassion and integrity. They deliver police services to Lafayette.
• Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office
  • Is a local law enforcement agency focused on the maintenance of social order within carefully prescribed ethical, constitutional and legal restrictions. They deliver services to Lafayette parish. We place interns with the following divisions of the Sheriff’s Office.
• Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office-Adult Services
• Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office- Pre-Trial Services
• Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office- Youth Services
• Lafayette City Marshal
  • Is a local law enforcement agency that offers interns the chance to see more than just law enforcement, it includes court observation and warrant issues. The jurisdiction for the Lafayette City Marshal is the city of Lafayette.
• Louisiana State Police
  • Is the state law enforcement agency which assures the safety of the state’s highways, communities, and environment.
• U.S. Marshals Service
  • Is a federal law enforcement agency focused on protecting the federal courts, issuing federal warrants, and transporting federal prisoners.
• HUB Enterprises
  • Is a private security company based in Lafayette. It provides insurance defense investigations and catastrophic/daily adjusting services throughout the United States.

The following agencies are correctional agencies that focus on community corrections.

• Probation and Parole-Lafayette
• Probation and Parole – New Iberia
  • Is responsible for the investigation and supervision of adjudicated adult offenders as they adjust and reintegrate into society. These offenders have violated state laws.
• U. S. Probation and Parole
  • Is responsible for the investigation and supervision of adjudicated adult offenders as they adjust and reintegrate into society. These offenders have committed federal crimes.

The following agencies are a mixture of not for profit and diversionary agencies.

• Family Violence Intervention Program
  • The mission of Family Violence Intervention Program is to ensure the safety of victims and of family violence and their children by holding abusers accountable for their criminal behavior. This agency focuses on the abuser not the victim.
• Faith House
  • The mission for Faith House is the protection of victims of family violence. This agency focuses on the victim. It is a domestic violence crisis center.
• Juvenile Drug Court
  • Is a diversionary program for offers adolescents the opportunity to lead crime-free, drug-free lives.