Ohio Department of Public Safety's Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services
Summary of Agency
The Ohio Department of Public Safety is comprised of seven divisions. These include:
Office of Criminal Services (our primary research affiliate)
Through its research, technology, grants administration and programmatic initiatives, the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services serves agencies and communities committed to reducing and preventing crime across Ohio. OCJS administers over $30 million in state and federal criminal justice funding every year. OCJS identifies justice issues, evaluates programs and develops technology, training and products for criminal justice professionals and communities. The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Service (OCJS) was created to administer grant funds to Ohio’s criminal justice constituents and to coordinate Ohio comprehensive criminal justice plan. The agency safeguards federal and state criminal justice funds against waste and works to maximize the resources available in Ohio’s fight against crime. Grants are monitored for compliance, audited for accuracy and evaluated for effectiveness. OCJS houses its own team of researchers and policy specialists who provide practitioners and policy makers with valuable information on many of the critical criminal justice issues facing our state. The OCJS serves an important role in understanding the value of information technology and on deterring crime. The OCJS has invested in and currently maintains of the state’s most significant justice technology links – the Ohio Incident-Based Reporting System (OIBRS). The OCJS identifies justice issues, evaluates programs and develops technology, training and products for criminal justice professionals and communities.
Additional information about the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services can be found here:
http://www.ocjs.ohio.gov/
Intern Responsibilities
An internship with OCJS will provide the student a greater understanding of how research, policy, and practice interact to positively impact Ohio and its citizens. In addition, the student will develop enhanced awareness of the structure and function of state government.
Policy and Research Internship Program
An internship program in the Policy and Research section of OCJS will offer the student valuable experience, such as:
- Exposure to key issues spanning the criminal justice field, and the ability to work closely with researchers on various justice-related projects;
- Putting classwork to practice by playing a significant role in at least one project which may require a literature review, consideration of methodology, data collection and/or analysis, and report-writing;
- Engaging with researchers as well as practitioners in the field through the opportunity to attend in-house and outside meetings of interest to the intern
The Policy and Research staff consists of a section chief, four researchers, and a staff member focused on policy issues related to domestic violence. Staff works on a variety of projects at any given time, and the intern would have the opportunity to work with each individual in the section, as well as the section chief.
Qualifications
The following are taken into consideration when reviewing potential candidates:
- Academic success, as indicated by grades, teacher recommendations, and awards
- Knowledge of the criminal justice system, including academic training on specific topics
- Verbal communication skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
- Proficiency with any specialized software, such as SPSS or another statistical package, or mapping software such as ESRI
- Any interest the student has in a topic related to the criminal justice field.
Location/Hours
The primary work hours will be arranged with the supervisor during normal business hours (Monday – Friday) and the work location will be at the Ohio Department of Public Safety headquarters building located at:
Ohio Department of Public Safety
Charles D. Shipley Building
1970 West Broad Street
P.O. Box 182081
Columbus, Ohio 43218-2081
The primary agency contact for this position is:
Gina Recinella, HCM Senior Analyst
Human Resources - Personnel
Ohio Department of Public Safety
GPRecinella@dps.ohio.gov
(614) 752-7664
Fax (614) 752-9842
Application
For further information on this opportunity, please contact the CJRC Program Manager – Christopher Yanai. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to: Christopher Yanai, Program Manager (614) 688-8685, Email: Yanai.7@osu.edu).
Note: This is an unpaid internship. Academic credit for Research or Internship is available. Applications will begin to be screened on 8/1/2015.