Internship Opportunities

1.) Secure approval for internship with a criminal justice agency: Students are encouraged to seek out agencies with which they are interested in interning. If you are unable to find a suitable agency, the department can provide you some guidance. You are also encouraged to review the agencies list provided in the resources below.

2.) Apply for the following:

      a.  Criminal Background Check: PA State Police Records Request

             Instructions for PA Criminal Background Check

      b.  Child Abuse Clearance: PA Clearance Records Request

             Instructions for PA Child Abuse Clearance

3.) Complete SU Internship Application Form:

     Undergraduate Internship Application Form

     Graduate Internship Application Form

4.) Sign the Internship Contract after reading through the Internship Handbook and Internship Syllabus, which can be located under the Internship Requirements section:

     Internship Student Contract

5.) Submit All Materials to Department Secretary (321 Shippen Hall): This includes a letter from internship site supervisor indicating you have been approved to intern with their agency, Internship Application, Criminal Background Check and Child Abuse Clearance (All materials must be submitted together.) ONCE YOUR INTERNSHIP APPLICATION HAS BEEN APPROVED, THE DEPARTMENT SECRETARY WILL REGISTER YOU FOR THE COURSE. (YOU ARE UNABLE TO REGISTER YOURSELF FOR THE INTERNSHIP.)

The deadline to submit internship applications for Spring, is November 1. The Deadline for Summer/Fall applications is April 1. Please submit all internship paperwork via email to Bonnie Heming at bghemi@ship.edu.

Fall/Spring/Summer Internship Credits: Internship credits are included on the bill with Fall/ Spring/Summer courses. Students will be registered for their internships by the Department  when all approvals are completed. You will be notified of your academic advisor via your Ship e-mail.

During the first week of your internship you must notify the Criminal Justice Department at crimjust@ship.edu or (717) 477-1558 and contact your assigned internship advisor to them know you started the internship.

When beginning the internship, you will be assigned two supervisors: an agency supervisor and an academic advisor. The agency supervisor is the agency employee assigned to you by the agency for field supervision. They are responsible for assigning and monitoring students' day-to-day activities while working with their agency. The academic advisor will be assigned by the department chair and may not be the faculty member you see for schedule advising. They are responsible for reviewing the academic components of the internship and assigning the student's grade. The central requirements for students during the internship can be found in the file below.

Internship Student Handbook

Internship Syllabus

Type A: Academic Internship Requirements

• Type A: Required Field Hours: 120 hours in the field.
• Type A: Weekly Journal Entries (Due each Friday) - (Learning Objectives 4, 5, & 7)

Each week, students must submit a summary of the week's activities to their AIS. These summaries must be uploaded each Friday (by 11:59 pm EST or other negotiated deadline at the discretion of the AIS) to the respective drop box via D2L/Brightspace. A submission folder has been created for each week. Only when necessary and at the discretion of your AIS, you may be directed to submit your summaries by other means (e.g., SHIP email).

The weekly journal entries should be structured as follows and should be 1 page in length (minimum):

• A discussion of your primary activities and responsibilities for the week.
• An explanation of 2-3 specific lessons learned and new relationships built.
• An analysis of the week's experience and relevant information received in your coursework. Specifically, you are to explain how your internship experiences supported and/or refuted what you have learned in the classroom. Be specific in your application of class information and cite the course(s) you are referring to.
• A discussion of any problems, surprises, or unexpected experiences.
• Number of hours worked & total number of hours to date.

The AIS will then respond each week with specific questions or observations designed to facilitate critical analysis, integration of concepts, and an appreciation of different perspectives and alternatives. This requirement allows weekly monitoring of student activities and provides a continuous series of opportunities for faculty to help students gain maximum value from the field experience.

• Type A: Agency Supervisor Evaluation - (Learning Objective 6)

A satisfactory evaluation from your AG is expected. The AIS will contact the AG with specific instructions about how to complete and submit the evaluation. The AIS may also call the AG to discuss your internship experience. Note: The evaluation form must be sent directly from the AG.

• Type A: Internship Exit Survey - Student - (Learning Objective 5)

As an Intern, you are required to complete and submit an Internship Exit Survey. The main goal of the survey is to provide an opportunity for you to reflect upon and evaluate your experiences within the organization. Your feedback is important, as accreditation standards require that we survey and obtain feedback from you regarding your internship experience and our academic programs. Therefore, your candid feedback is very important and will remain strictly confidential.

 

Type B: Academic Internship Requirements

• Type B: Required Field Hours: 240 hours in the field.
• Type B: Weekly Journal Entries (Due each Friday) - (Learning Objectives 4, 5, & 7)

By the end of Friday each week (or other negotiated deadline at the discretion of the AIS), students must submit a summary of the week's activities to their AIS. These summaries must be uploaded each Friday (by 11:59pm EST) to the respective drop box via D2L/Brightspace. A submission folder has been created for each week. Only when necessary and at the discretion of your AIS, you may be directed to submit your summaries by other means (e.g., SHIP email).

The weekly journal entries should be structured as follows and should be 1 page in length (minimum):

• A discussion of your primary activities and responsibilities for the week.
• An explanation of 2-3 specific lessons learned and new relationships built.
• An analysis of the week's experience and relevant information received in your coursework. Specifically, you are to explain how your internship experiences supported and/or refuted what you have learned in the classroom. Be specific in your application of class information and cite the course(s) that you reference.
• A discussion of any problems, surprises, or unexpected experiences.
• Number of hours worked & total number of hours to date.

The AIS will respond weekly with specific questions or observations designed to facilitate critical analysis, integration of concepts, and an appreciation of different perspectives and alternatives. This requirement allows weekly monitoring of student activities and provides a continuous series of opportunities for faculty to help students gain maximum value from the field experience.

• Type B: Agency Supervisor Evaluation - (Learning Objective 6)

A satisfactory evaluation from your AG is expected. The AIS will contact the AG with specific instructions about how to complete and submit the evaluation. The AIS may also call the AG to discuss your internship experience. Note: The evaluation form must be sent directly from the AG.

• Type B: Internship Exit Survey - Student - (Learning Objective 5)

As an Intern, you are required to complete and submit an Internship Exit Survey. The main goal of the survey is to provide an opportunity for you to reflect upon and evaluate your experiences within the organization. Your feedback is important, as accreditation standards require that we survey and obtain feedback from you regarding your internship experience and our academic programs. Therefore, your candid feedback is very important and will remain strictly confidential.

• Type B: PowerPoint® Presentation - (Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, & 8)

All students who complete an internship type B, C, or D must create a PowerPoint® presentation of their internship experience. Student PowerPoint® presentations may be selected by the faculty for display and/or presentation at research day, internship meetings, publications, etc. The selection of the student’s poster for presentation is very competitive, and CRJ faculty will select only the best research projects for these distinctions.

PowerPoint® Presentation

Presentations must be made using PowerPoint slides and must include:

• An overview of the internship site, including a brief description of its mission statement, services, and organizational chart.
• A brief description of the internship responsibilities.
• A brief description of the challenges and successes experienced during the internship.
• A description of what was learned from the internship experience and how it can be applied in the future.
• A statement on how this experience informed your career plans.
• References cited in APA 7^th format.

Final Comments on PowerPoint® Presentation

            Although the presentation is supposed to reflect the students’ experience, it should NOT      be written             in first person (I, me, my, we, you, our, etc.).

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the PowerPoint® presentation is RECEIVED by the last day of class for the term or other previously negotiated deadline. Late assignments will be penalized with possible extra requirements. If students have any questions, they should contact their AIS as soon as possible.

 

Type C: Academic Internship Requirements

• Type C: Required Field Hours: 360 hours in the field.
• Type C: Weekly Journal Entries (Due each Friday) - (Learning Objectives 4, 5, & 7)

By the end of Friday each week (or other negotiated deadline at the discretion of the AIS), students must submit a summary of the week's activities to their AIS. These summaries must be uploaded each Friday (by 11:59pm EST) to the respective drop box via D2L/Brightspace. A submission folder has been created for each week. Only when necessary and at the discretion of your AIS, you may be directed to submit your summaries by other means (e.g., SHIP email).

The weekly journal entries should be structured as follows and should be 1 page in length (minimum):

• A discussion of your primary activities and responsibilities for the week.
• An explanation of 2-3 specific lessons learned and new relationships built.
• An analysis of the week's experience and relevant information received in your coursework. Specifically, you are to explain how your internship experiences supported and/or refuted what you have learned in the classroom. Be specific in your application of class information and cite the course(s) you are referring to.
• A discussion of any problems, surprises, or unexpected experiences.
• Number of hours worked & total number of hours to date.

The AIS will respond weekly with specific questions or observations designed to facilitate critical analysis, integration of concepts, and an appreciation of different perspectives and alternatives. This requirement allows weekly monitoring of student activities and provides a continuous series of opportunities for faculty to help students gain maximum value from the field experience.

• Type C: Agency Supervisor Evaluation - (Learning Objective 6)

A satisfactory evaluation from your AG is expected. The AIS will contact the AG with specific instructions about how to complete and submit the evaluation. The AIS may also call the AG to discuss your internship experience. Note: The evaluation form must be sent directly from the AG.

• Type C: Internship Exit Survey - Student - (Learning Objective 5)

As an Intern, you are required to complete and submit an Internship Exit Survey. The main goal of the survey is to provide an opportunity for you to reflect upon and evaluate your experiences within the organization. Your feedback is important, as accreditation standards require that we survey and obtain feedback from you regarding your internship experience and our academic programs. Therefore, your candid feedback is very important and will remain strictly confidential.

• Type C: PowerPoint® Presentation - (Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, & 8)

All students who complete an internship type B, C, or D must create a PowerPoint® presentation of their internship experience. Student PowerPoint® presentations may be selected by the faculty for display and/or presentation at research day, internship meetings, publications, etc. The selection of the student’s poster for presentation is very competitive, and CRJ faculty will select only the best research projects for these distinctions.

PowerPoint® Presentation Tips

Presentations must be made using PowerPoint slides and must include:

• An overview of the internship site, including a brief description of its mission statement, services, and organizational chart.
• A brief description of the internship responsibilities.
• A brief description of the challenges and successes experienced during the internship.
• A very detailed description of your research and its relationship to your internship experience (Section 3 of your research paper)
• A description of what was learned from the experience and how it can be applied in the future.
• A statement on how this experience informed your career plans.
• References cited in APA 7^th format.

Final Comments on Paper and PowerPoint® Presentation

              Although the paper is supposed to be reflection of the students’ experience, it should NOT      be written in first person (me, my, we, you, our, etc.).

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the paper and PowerPoint® presentation are RECEIVED by the last day of class for the term or other previously negotiated deadline. Late assignments will be penalized with possible extra requirements. If students have any questions, they should contact their AIS as soon as possible.

• Type C: Internship Research Paper - (Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, & 8)

Purpose

Near the end of the internship, students are required to submit a final internship research paper through D2L. This paper must cover the entire internship and be an overview of the learning experience. The paper must reflect high-level quality writing and meet the rigorous standards of structure, composition, punctuation, spelling, etc.

• The paper is to be double-space typed.
• The paper must be a minimum of 5 pages of text (i.e., for Internship Type C). Please be advised that the minimum requirement of text/pages for the paper does not include a title page or reference page.
• Papers should have a cover page with the student’s name and internship agency.
• Pages should be numbered.
• Major headings should be used for each section.
• Proper APA-style in-text citations must be used where appropriate (Use APA 7^th manual).
• APA-style reference page identifying all utilized sources must be included. Please visit the following links for some suggestions about proper APA citation style:
  • https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/24/
  • https://library.nd.edu.au/instruction/referencing/apa7/printable

Students should read the following guidelines carefully, as papers will be evaluated based upon these expectations. The final paper will consist of three (3) major sections. Each section should be separated by a major heading for organizational purposes.

Section One: Overview

The first section should briefly provide an overview of the internship including a discussion of the internship agency and a summary of the student’s major responsibilities and activities during the internship. This should include highlights and major assignments that were given to students by their agency. There is no need to “list” everything that was done, but students may want to briefly discuss those tasks that were most common or most informative.

Section Two: Academic Research

The second section requires students to review academic/scholarly literature that is related to a student's experiences. This is the most time-consuming part of the paper for most students, so it is vital that students understand what is expected and follow these requirements. The purpose of this section is to briefly summarize several research articles related to the student’s topic of interest and to highlight general knowledge, challenges, and issues related to this topic. For the academic research requirement, the student must select a topic that is of her/his interest and relates to the agency’s activities/work. The student might rely on advice from the AG (e.g., based on the agency’s needs) and AIS when choosing a topic.

Research Tips:

• A common mistake by students is the selection of a research topic with little intellectual insight or academic interest, making the finding of scholarly works on the subject difficult. For example, a student who interns with an arson investigation unit should not select "how fires get started" or "how an investigation is completed" as their These are technical, application-oriented questions that may be addressed in technical manuals but will have little scholarly research on them. How would students critically evaluate such questions? For instance, it is unlikely that fires start differently in Charlotte than what the author says. In this example, better topics would seem to be researching "who commits arson and why" or research on insurance fraud. If students are having a difficult time thinking of a topic, they should contact their AIS for ideas and suggestions.
• Academic literature means scholarly journal articles or quality, academic books. To qualify as academic, sources must generally adhere to some general rules such as references utilizing academic/peer-reviewed sources, and an absence of advertisements or Textbooks from previous courses and general books such as introductory textbooks on a topic are inappropriate. The use of government reports should also be kept to a minimum. Pamphlets, brochures, or material (including agency websites) created for or by the agency are NOT appropriate for the purposes of the academic research section. This material may be used in other parts of the paper but is not acceptable for this section. If you need assistance locating criminal justice journals, please visit the following link for some suggestions: https://asc41.org/resources/journals-newsletters/ and/or Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice library guide: https://library.ship.edu/cj.
• Papers must utilize at least three (3) academic (peer-reviewed/refereed) sources. A peer-reviewed source is any article that has been written by experts in the field of Criminal Justice and has been vetted through a blind-review process by several other experts in the field to ensure the articles quality (e.g., research methods, research design, qualitative and/or quantitative analyses) before publication. The quality of the sources and the relevance of them for a student's internship will be taken into Students will have access to the Shippensburg University library catalog and various databases during their internship. Students must email their APA references for the paper to their AIS well in advance of the paper deadline established, so they can receive feedback on the adequacy of their sources. Papers that incorrectly cite or reference sources will receive an “Incomplete” for the internship, and result in the student having to make corrections to the paper in order to receive credit for the internship. Papers that insufficiently cite sources or use material in an inappropriate manner may indicate plagiarism which will be treated very seriously (see academic dishonesty policy below) and may have significant negative consequences for the student. If you need assistance with APA 7^th ed. citation style please visit the links provided above.

Section Three: Integrating Research and Practice

The purpose of this section is to draw comparisons and/or contrast academic research with the student’s observations and experience during the internship. Interns are encouraged to discuss their research with agency staff to obtain staff thoughts on these issues and incorporate those views (and the extent to which the student agrees or not) into the paper. Staff comments should be discussed generally without identifying individual staff members. Students are expected to critically evaluate academic literature in relation to their internship experiences. It is insufficient to simply quote a single sentence from a source and then describe whether your observations are similar. Students must thoughtfully REFLECT upon the research and their experiences during the internship. For example, were the findings, conclusions, ideas, recommendations of particular sources consistent with the student's experiences during the internship? What might be explanations for why they were similar or different? Are there advantages of the academic policies or recommendations over observed practices? These are just some examples of the types of issues that might be explored.

 

Type D: Academic Internship Requirements

• Type D: Required Field Hours: 480 hours in the field.
• Type D: Weekly Journal Entries (Due each Friday) - (Learning Objectives 4, 5, & 7)

By the end of Friday each week (or other negotiated deadline at the discretion of the AIS), students must submit a summary of the week's activities to their AIS. These summaries must be uploaded each Friday (by 11:59pm EST) to the respective drop box via D2L/Brightspace. A submission folder has been created for each week. Only when necessary and at the discretion of your AIS, you may be directed to submit your summaries by other means (e.g., SHIP email).

The weekly journal entries should be structured as follows and should be 1 page in length (minimum):

• A discussion of your primary activities and responsibilities for the week.
• An explanation of 2-3 specific lessons learned and new relationships built.
• An analysis of the week's experience and relevant information received in your coursework. Specifically, you are to explain how your internship experiences supported and/or refuted what you have learned in the classroom. Be specific in your application of class information and cite the course(s) you are referring to.
• A discussion of any problems, surprises, or unexpected experiences.
• Number of hours worked & total number of hours to date.

The AIS will respond weekly with specific questions or observations designed to facilitate critical analysis, integration of concepts, and an appreciation of different perspectives and alternatives. This requirement allows weekly monitoring of student activities and provides a continuous series of opportunities for faculty to help students gain maximum value from the field experience.

• Type D: Agency Supervisor Evaluation - (Learning Objective 6)

A satisfactory evaluation from your AG is expected. The AIS will contact the AG with specific instructions about how to complete and submit the evaluation. The AIS may also call the AG to discuss your internship experience. Note: The evaluation form must be sent directly from the AG.

• Type D: Internship Exit Survey - Student - (Learning Objective 5)

As an Intern, you are required to complete and submit an Internship Exit Survey. The main goal of the survey is to provide an opportunity for you to reflect upon and evaluate your experiences within the organization. Your feedback is important, as accreditation standards require that we survey and obtain feedback from you regarding your internship experience and our academic programs. Therefore, your candid feedback is very important and will remain strictly confidential.

• Type D: PowerPoint® Presentation - (Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, & 8)

All students who complete an internship type B, C, or D must create a PowerPoint® presentation of their internship experience. Student PowerPoint® presentations may be selected by the faculty for display and/or presentation at research day, internship meetings, publications, etc. The selection of the student’s poster for presentation is very competitive, and CRJ faculty will select only the best research projects for these distinctions.

PowerPoint® Presentation Tips

Presentations must be made using PowerPoint slides and must include:

• An overview of the internship site, including a brief description of its mission statement, services, and organizational chart.
• A brief description of the internship responsibilities.
• A brief description of the challenges and successes experienced during the internship.
• A detailed description of your research and its relationship to your internship experience (Section 3 and 4 of your research paper)
• A description of what was learned from the experience and how it can be applied in the future.
• A statement on how this experience informed your career plans.
• References cited in APA 7^th format.

Final Comments on Paper and PowerPoint® Presentation

              Although the paper is supposed to be reflection of the students’ experience, it should NOT      be written in first person (me, my, we, you, our, etc.).

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the paper and PowerPoint® presentation are RECEIVED by the last day of class for the term or other previously negotiated deadline. Late assignments will be penalized with possible extra requirements. If students have any questions, they should contact their AIS as soon as possible.

• Type D: Internship Research Paper - (Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, & 8)

Purpose

Near the end of the internship, students are required to submit a final internship research paper through D2L. This paper must cover the entire internship and be an overview of the learning experience. The paper must reflect high-level quality writing and meet rigorous standards of structure, composition, punctuation, spelling, etc.

• The paper is to be double-space typed.
• The paper must be a minimum of 8-10 pages of text (i.e., for Internship Type D). Please be advised that the minimum requirement of text/pages for the paper does not include title page or reference page.
• Papers should have a cover page with the student’s name and internship agency.
• Pages should be numbered.
• Major headings should be used for each section.
• Proper APA-style in-text citations must be used where appropriate (Use APA 7^th manual).
• APA-style reference page identifying all utilized sources must be included. Please visit the following links for some suggestions about proper APA citation style:
  • https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/24/
• https://library.nd.edu.au/instruction/referencing/apa7/printable

Students should read the following guidelines carefully, as papers will be evaluated based upon these expectations. The final paper will consist of four (4) major sections. Each section should be separated by a major heading for organizational purposes.

Section One: Overview

The first section should briefly provide an overview of the internship including a discussion of the internship agency and a summary of the student’s major responsibilities and activities during the internship. This should include highlights and major assignments that were given to students by their agency. There is no need to “list” everything that was done, but students may want to briefly discuss those tasks that were most common or most informative.

Section Two: Academic Research

The second section requires students to review academic/scholarly literature that is related to a student's experiences. The purpose of this section is to briefly summarize several research articles related to the student’s topic of interest and to highlight general knowledge, challenges, and issues related to this topic. For the academic research requirement, the student must select a topic that is of her/his interest and relates to the agency’s activities/work. The student might rely on advice from the AG (e.g., based on the agency’s needs) and AIS when choosing a topic.

Research Tips:

• A common mistake by students is the selection of a research topic with little intellectual insight or academic interest, making the finding of scholarly works on the subject difficult. For example, a student who interns with an arson investigation unit should not select "how fires get started" or "how an investigation is completed" as their These are technical, application-oriented questions that may be addressed in technical manuals but will have little scholarly research on them. How would students critically evaluate such questions? For instance, it is unlikely that fires start differently in Charlotte than the author says. In this example, better topics would seem to be researching "who commits arson and why" or research on insurance fraud. If students are having a difficult time thinking of a topic, they should contact their AIS for ideas and suggestions.
• Academic literature means scholarly journal articles or quality, academic To qualify as academic, sources must generally adhere to some general rules such as references utilizing academic/peer-reviewed sources, and an absence of advertisements or pictures. Textbooks from previous courses and general books such as introductory textbooks on a topic are inappropriate. The use of government reports should also be kept to a minimum. Pamphlets, brochures, or material (including agency websites) created for or by the agency are NOT appropriate for the purposes of the academic research section. This material may be used in other parts of the paper but is not acceptable for this section. If you need assistance locating criminal justice journals, please visit the following link for some suggestions: https://asc41.org/resources/journals-newsletters/ and/or Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice library guide: https://library.ship.edu/cj.
• Papers must utilize at least six (6) academic (peer-reviewed/refereed) sources. A peer reviewed source is any article that has been written by experts in the field of Criminal Justice and has been vetted through a blind-review process by several other experts in the field to ensure the articles quality (e.g., research methods, research design, qualitative and/or quantitative analyses) before Students will have access to the Shippensburg University library catalog and various databases during their internship. Students must email their APA references for the paper to their AIS well in advance of the paper deadline established, so they can receive feedback on the adequacy of their sources. Papers that incorrectly cite or reference sources will receive an “Incomplete” for the internship, and result in the student having to make corrections to the paper in order to receive credit for the internship. Papers that insufficiently cite sources or use material in an inappropriate manner may indicate plagiarism which will be treated very seriously (see academic dishonesty policy below) and may have significant negative consequences for the student. If you need assistance with APA 7^th ed. citation style please visit the links provided above.

Section Three: Integrating Research and Practice

The purpose of this section is to draw comparisons and/or contrast academic research with the student’s observations and experience during the internship. Interns are encouraged to discuss their research with agency staff to obtain staff thoughts on these issues and incorporate those views (and the extent to which the student agrees or not) into the paper. Staff comments should be discussed generally without identifying individual staff members. Students are expected to critically evaluate the academic literature in relation to their internship experiences. It is insufficient to simply quote a single sentence from a source and then describe whether or not your observations are similar.

Students must thoughtfully REFLECT upon the research and their experiences during the internship. For example, were the findings, conclusions, ideas, recommendations, etc., of particular sources consistent with the student's experiences during the internship? What might be explanations for why they were similar or different? Are there advantages of the academic policies or recommendations over observed practices? These are just some examples of the types of issues that might be explored.

Section Four: Reflection

Student’s should read the Belmont Report https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/sites/default/files/the-belmont-report-508c_FINAL.pdf  paying particular attention to the three basic ethical principles of research involving human subjects.

After reading this report, you must discuss the importance of respect for persons, beneficence and justice. For example, you must discuss the importance of confidentiality whenever Criminal Justice professionals manage information about their clients, or the agencies they work for. What are the benefits, obligations, and/or challenges in keeping certain information confidential? What are circumstances that might warrant sharing otherwise private information? Be sure to appropriately cite the Belmont Report in your discussion.

The final section of the paper requires that the student engage in a meaningful reflection about the internship relative to their education, professional goals, and personal development. There are no specific requirements other than to provide a thoughtful discussion about the experience - both positive and negative (if relevant).

 

• Internship Agencies