Internship and Volunteer Opportunities

Juvenile Department Internships

The Dallas County Juvenile Department offers several non-paid internship opportunities to qualified college students. If you are interested in interning with the department, please contact the identified intern coordinator for the internship you wish to pursue in order to determine if an opportunity exists in your needed semester.

Probation: Interns are exposed to the work of probation officers. Provides students an opportunity to get hands on experience with managing a caseload and supervising youth in a community setting. If interested, please contact Rhonda Kerl, Post-Adjudication Manager of Probation Services at rhonda.kerl@dallascounty.org.

Research: The DCJD has a research team that is responsible for program evaluations, data analysis, and reporting. This internship provides the unique opportunity to experience researching in the practical world. If interested, please contact Dr. Daniel Pacheco, Manager of Research & Statistics at daniel.pacheco@dallascounty.org.

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Clinical: The Clinical Division does not have volunteers. The Clinical Division has internship through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Visit appic.org for more information and review our internship selection criteria. The Clinical Division accepts practicum students who are enrolled in a master’s or doctoral graduate school program seeking a degree in psychology or a related field. Submit CVs or resumes with any questions to Dr. Frederica Adams.

Legal: Interns accepted into this program may assist General Counsel with tasks not limited to legal consultation and representation to the Executive Director of Juvenile Services, Executive and Administrative teams, Juvenile Board, Academy for Academic Excellence and Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program; review and/or draft, where applicable, contracts and the like, legislative matters, and policy development; research for briefs, memoranda, legal opinions and/or certain communications; review incident video, where applicable, to participate in disciplinary matters. You will receive a first-hand view of a General Counsel’s role in the Dallas County Juvenile Department. If interested, please contact Denika R. Caruthers, General Counsel at denika.caruthers@dallascounty.org

This internship program may require documentation other than the generalized documentation requirements listed below.

Education: Our education division provides two types of internship opportunities. The first opportunity is student teaching experience through an accredited college or university. Potential student teachers will be placed with a highly effective certified teacher in their subject area. This is great training for working with at-risk youth. The second opportunity is for tutoring in a core subject area. Tutors will be placed where the need is with our students. If interested, please contact Ms. Karen Ramos, Deputy Director of Education at karen.ramos@dallascounty.org

In order to be considered for an internship, students must:

• Be enrolled in a college or graduate level internship class
• Age 21 and up
• Provide an unofficial college transcript to the respective intern coordinator
• Provide 3 Letters of Reference to the respective intern coordinator
• Complete intern training
• Review and complete required paperwork
• Pass a FAST background check

Once you have spoken to an intern coordinator and have determined there is an opportunity for you to intern with DCJD, please sign up for a training here. Please do not sign up for a training until you have determined where you will be interning if approved. You will be contacted by our Training Unit with additional instructions and necessary paperwork to review and complete prior to being approved to intern with our Department.