Release date: 3/28/2019
The North Carolina Criminal Justice Fellows Program is accepting applications until April 30, 2019
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today encouraged North Carolina high school seniors and graduates to pursue law enforcement careers through the North Carolina Criminal Justice Fellows Program. The program, developed by the North Carolina Department of Justice and the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, will provide forgivable community college educational loans to high school seniors and qualified graduates who agree to enter a criminal justice profession upon completion of their degree.
“North Carolina is facing a shortage of qualified law enforcement officers while our communities are facing serious challenges including the opioid epidemic, cybercrime, and sexual assault,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “We need smart, well-trained, and committed law enforcement officers, sheriff’s deputies, and telecommunicators to protect our communities and serve the public. So many of our state’s young people are up to the task – I encourage them to apply to the Criminal Justice Fellows Program.”
High school seniors and graduates from eligible North Carolina counties who have exhibited high academic achievement, a history of service to the school and community, and a desire to serve the state of North Carolina in a field within the criminal justice profession can apply to the program before the April 30 deadline. This fellowship will fund an Applied Associate Degree in criminal justice or Committee-approved related field of study from any North Carolina community college. Students who receive the educational loan would have it forgiven if they enter and remain in a criminal justice profession within North Carolina for four years in an eligible county. If not, they would have five years to repay the loan.
Criminal justice fellows can go into a wide range of professions, including: state and local sworn law enforcement officers, state correctional officers, sworn sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, detention officers, state juvenile justice officers, and telecommunicators under the direct supervision of a law enforcement agency and other correctional officers maintained by local governments and juvenile justice agencies.
The program was authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly in the 2018-2019 budget.
More information on the program can be found here.
Application directions and forms can be found here.
A list of eligible counties can be found here.
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
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