Criminal Justice & Public Safety Volunteer Positions in Boulder County
And the Justice System Volunteer Program

The Boulder County Justice System has one of the oldest and most highly regarded volunteer programs in the United States. Founded in 1961 by Judge Horace B. Holmes, the Justice System Volunteer Program (JSVP) at that time consisted of a small group of community volunteer mentors for youth on probation. Over the years, the program grew to about fifteen different volunteer positions in Probation and the Courts.

In 1981, the program was expanded to include all county justice system agencies: Community Justice Services, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Sheriff’s Office.

We recruit and place volunteers and interns in over twenty different volunteer positions for the county agencies above. Volunteers play a vital role in enhancing services to crime victims and juvenile and adult offenders. Our volunteer partners are essential in helping us maintain an open and responsive criminal justice system. JSVP plans and administers program development, provides orientation for new volunteers as well as providing staff technical assistance and training in volunteer resources management. The program also works closely with other county departments and community groups to expand volunteer initiatives.

What Do Volunteers Do?

There are 70-75 volunteers working at the Justice Center today. Volunteers range in age from college students to retirees. We have opportunities for undergraduate interns and law school students to gain practical experience and explore career options, as well as challenging ways for community volunteers to become involved in local government.

Here are just a few of the ways you can get involved:

  • Provide support and information to crime victims

  • Be a mentor to high-risk youth who need extra attention

  • Work with an adult defendant

  • Help people with consumer fraud complaints

  • Teach ESL, GED and life skills classes to jail inmates

  • Gain valuable experience as a law clerk for a deputy D.A. or participate in our Restorative Justice Circles for adult offenders.

JSVP volunteers and interns may be placed in Boulder or in the Longmont sites for the D.A.’s Office and Community Justice Services. Click on Volunteer Openings to see what is currently available, or call 303-441-3718.

http://www.bouldercounty.org/jobs/vol/pages/cjvolunteers.aspx

CU in D.C.

CU in D.C. is a program for students who want to put classroom learning into real world action. The program is a semester-long experience that combines a professional internship with CU coursework in Washington D.C. Internships in Washington D.C. offer students an opportunity to build bridges between knowledge gained in the academic environment of CU, and practical experience gained in the exciting, fast-paced world of the nation’s capital.

CU in D.C. is a new initiative of the CU Boulder campus. Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, CU in D.C. is a for-credit internship program open to undergraduate students in majors across the entire campus, as well as to undergraduate students on the CU Denver and CU Colorado Springs campuses. Internships are offered in fall, spring, and summer.

The CU in D.C. internship program is part of a broader initiative by the university to develop a more visible presence in Washington D.C., where students, alumni, policymakers, and others participate in the dynamic processes of our nation’s capital. In addition to working in political, governmental, business, or nonprofit organizations, students participate in an internship class, conduct original research, and often take additional classes.

If you are ready for a challenge and a transformational experience, CU in D.C. may be for you!

https://cuindc.colorado.edu/

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

is seeking exceptionally motivated undergraduate students, graduate students, and graduates for the opportunity to help a ground-breaking environmental organization dramatically increase the role of communications in advancing its mission, growing its audience and building its supporter base. The internship can be a full or part-time position based in the Washington, DC office for a minimum of 10 weeks. Due to limited resources, internships/externships are unpaid. The intern will work with the Communications Manager to frame CIEL’s message, develop and maintain a consistent organizational voice, manage and support our engagement with both online and traditional media, and grow our audience. The Communications Intern will: support CIEL’s communications capacity and strategy; draft material on behalf of CIEL programs, activities and leadership; edit external communications; and support online outreach and supporter engagement. The Communications Intern reports to the Communications Manager.

http://www.ciel.org/about-us/environmental-communications-internship/


Additional Resources 

Career Planning Guide

http://www.colorado.edu/career/sites/default/files/attached-files/Career%20Planning%20Guides8.pdf

International Career Guide

http://www.colorado.edu/career/sites/default/files/attached-files/International%20Career%20Guides.pdf

Thinking about Law School

http://www.lsac.org/jd/thinking-about-law-school/getting-started

Pre-Law Advising CU Boulder

http://www.colorado.edu/advising/pre-law

Suggested Timeline for Applying to Law School

http://www.admissionsdean.com/applying_to_law_school/application-timeline

Law School Recruitment Forums

http://www.lsac.org/jd/choosing-a-law-school/law-school-recruitment-forums

LSAT Fee Waiver

http://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/fee-waivers

CU Boulder Financial Aid for Law School

http://www.colorado.edu/law/admissions/financialaid/lrap

GRE Fee Reduction Program

http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/fees/reductions

UROP

CU Boulder has a rich culture for cultivating undergraduates as emerging scholars, artists and practicing researchers. UROP provides consultation services, informational workshops and grants to promote undergraduate research as a high-impact learning practice for student success.  

Each year UROP funds hundreds of students who produce new knowledge and creative work in partnership with CU's world-class faculty. We serve students and faculty whose learning and teaching goals include outside-the-classroom enrichment.

In a UROP project, you: 

  • Explore academic interests beyond the classroom
  • Get hands-on experience with research or creative production
  • Develop student-faculty relationships for professional references
  • Acquire academic and professional skills and credentials
  • Demonstrate successful grant-writing skills
  • Refine your academic and career goals

http://www.colorado.edu/suep/about-urop