The Division investigates and prosecutes crimes of statewide significance and supersedes county prosecutions when necessary. In addition to its direct law enforcement operations, the Division provides oversight, coordination and training standards for New Jersey law enforcement at the state, county and municipal levels, to ensure the safety and security of all New Jersey citizens. Post-conviction, the Division of Criminal Justice possesses primary responsibility for all New Jersey Supreme Court litigation involving criminal cases, handles all appellate work generated by DCJ prosecutions and litigates appeals of statewide significance.
The Division of Criminal Justice has volunteer assignments within a variety of bureaus and units:

• Appeals - including Federal, NJ Supreme Court and Appellate Division litigation
• Insurance Fraud - including Civil Penalties in Auto and Medical Insurance, and Medicaid Fraud
• Major Crimes - including Bias Crime, Labor, Human Trafficking, Forfeiture and Motor Vehicle Commission Initiative
• Prosecutors and Police Supervision – including Police Training Commission, DCJ Training Academy, State Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy, State Medical Examiner’s Office, State CODIS-DNA Program, and Grants Administration

Volunteer Associates will be exposed to a variety of substantive areas of the law, and are expected to have excellent legal research, legal writing, and interpersonal communication skills.

Beyond performance of the responsibilities assigned by each Volunteer Associate’s supervisor, associates are provided opportunities to observe Deputy Attorneys General appearing before the Criminal Division, Law Division, Appellate Division, and, occasionally, the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Volunteer Associate applicants should express their interest in multiple specific Bureaus within the Division as well as any geographic preference. Those preferences will be shared with the Volunteer Associate coordinators within each Bureau. Effort will be made to accommodate mutual interest, but no particular assignment is guaranteed.

Participants will be asked to make a commitment to the program for a minimum of three months, for at least 20 hours a week – sufficient time to assure the objectives of the program are met, while allowing flexibility to seek other employment. Participants able to commit to longer periods of time or who decide to stay on for a longer duration may be afforded greater opportunities to assume responsibility in litigation assignments. Participants who have fulfilled the commitment and obtain full time legal employment or decide to leave for other reasons will be expected to give reasonable notice and to act as responsible professionals in the finalization or transfer of work responsibilities. Voluntary Associates are subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct and other ethics standards of the Department, including the Conflicts of Interest Law. Assignments will be made in a manner to avoid potential conflicts of interest if at all possible.

DCJ Geographic Locations /Bureaus

Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market Street
Trenton, New Jersey

• Major Crimes Bureau
• Appellate Bureau
• Prosecutors Supervision Bureau

Cherry Hill
5 Executive Campus
Cherry Hill, New Jersey

• Major Crimes Bureau
• Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor

Lawrenceville
3131 Princeton Pike
Building #3, Suite 100

• Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor

Whippany
1 Apollo Drive,
Whippany, New Jersey

• Major Crimes Bureau
• Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor