Criminal justice is the system of institutions and practices that uphold laws, investigate crimes, prosecute offenders, and administer corrections. The broader field of criminal justice encompasses several areas, including but not limited to law enforcement, the judicial system, correctional institutions and procedures, forensic science, and public policy. Participating in criminal justice programs is a good opportunity to gain insight into the field, given their specialized focus and the fact that it encompasses both social science and applied practice. A holistic approach to learning about criminal justice ideally requires a combination of research, an understanding of real-world systems, and the ethics underlying it all.
Why should you consider a criminal justice program?
Participating in a rigorous criminal justice program lets you engage with the actual mechanisms of law and order in a more hands-on manner. You’ll be able to develop critical analytical skills by examining case law, understanding the sociology of crime, and learning the procedural intricacies of the court system. If you’re keen on forensic science, these programs offer access to laboratory environments and instrumentation—like gas chromatography or DNA sequencing tools—that are rarely available in a high school setting.
With that, here are 15 criminal justice programs for high school students that are worth checking out.
However, if you’re interested in other facets of law, here are some pre-law internships for high school students you should check out.
15 Criminal Justice Programs for High School Students
1. Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI) Summer Internship
Location: Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Typically, 10 weeks in the summer (flexible)
Application Deadline: January 5
Eligibility: High school students with a strong interest in law
The Loyola Project for the Innocent (LPI) Summer Internship is one of the few opportunities in the nation that allows high school students to work directly on post-conviction litigation on behalf of the wrongfully incarcerated. As a participant, you will work under the supervision of licensed attorneys to review trial transcripts, looking for reversible errors or ineffective assistance of counsel. You may be tasked with summarizing complex case files, organizing discovery documents, or researching specific penal code statutes relevant to habeas corpus petitions. This role requires you to handle sensitive, confidential case data with the same rigor as a licensed attorney.
2. Forensic Sciences Mentoring Institute (FMI) Summer Science Program
Location: Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Horsham, PA
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 17 – July 31
Application Deadline: December 15 – February 13
Eligibility: High school students (16+) who have completed or are enrolled in algebra, biology, and chemistry; High school seniors preferred
If you’re interested in the highly technical evidentiary side of criminal justice, the FMI Summer Science Program is a good program to consider. As a participant, you will spend your summer in a professional laboratory setting, rotating through three core forensic disciplines: Forensic Biology, Forensic Chemistry, and Forensic Toxicology. You will gain hands-on proficiency with real-world instrumentation such as GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) and learn the precise chain-of-custody protocols required to make scientific evidence admissible in court. You’ll also get to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of NMS Labs and a local university. The program culminates in a mock court presentation where you must defend your scientific findings as an expert witness.
3. Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program
Location: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, New York, NY
Stipend: Paid minimum wage
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: June 29 – July 31
Application Deadline: January 26 – February 27
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors living in Manhattan
During the Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program, you will be placed directly within one of the country’s busiest prosecutor’s offices, gaining an up-close view of the workings of the criminal justice system. You will be expected to engage in substantive work that may include analyzing data for crime strategies, assisting with case preparation, or supporting community partnership units. You will participate in workshops and discussions with professionals, understand the lifecycle of a criminal case, and even participate in a mock trial to put your learnings to the test.
4. United States Secret Service Student Volunteer Program
Location: Washington, D.C. and various field offices
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: 1 semester, 2 quarters, or a summer session with specific dates varying by position and location
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: U.S. high school students (16+)
The United States Secret Service’s Student Volunteer Program offers a rare window into federal law enforcement and protective services. As a participant, you will be assigned to a specific division where you will support administrative and investigative operations. While you will not be carrying a firearm, you will gain exposure to the logistical and intelligence-gathering machinery that supports the agency’s dual mission of protection and financial crime investigation. You will learn about the federal jurisdictional framework and the operational discipline required in high-stakes government security.
5. Brooklyn District Attorney’s Summer High School Internship
Location: Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: Varies by position
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students living in or attending school in Brooklyn
During the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Summer High School Internship, you will work within one of the specialized bureaus of the Brooklyn DA’s office, such as the Homicide Bureau, Special Victims Unit, or the Civil Rights Unit. You might assist with active investigations, attend trials, research financial data, conduct legal research yourself, or even support community outreach programs, depending on which unit you choose to intern with. Regardless of the specifics of the unit, you will have a front row seat to observe the daily friction between defense and prosecution in the New York courts and how District Attorneys do their jobs.
6. Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program (TMSLIP)
Location: Various organizations across New York, NY
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: 6-8 weeks in the summer (varies by employer and role)
Application Deadline: December 12 (tentative)
Eligibility: NYC public high school students
Administered by the NYC Bar Association, the Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program places you in top-tier law firms, nonprofits, or government organizations where you can experience the legal side of criminal justice. You will be treated as a junior member of a legal team and will be responsible for administrative tasks, document management, and occasionally legal research assistance. Beyond the job, you will receive intensive training in professional etiquette and legal terminology, giving you functional literacy in corporate and criminal law environments before you even start college.
7. Dallas County Public Defender’s Office Student Internship
Location: Frank Crowley Courts Building, George Allen Courts Building, or Henry Wade Courts Building in Dallas, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: May 18 – June 26 OR June 29 – August 7 (summer); Multiple cohorts a year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort; April 30 (summer)
Eligibility: High school students
During the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office Student Internship, you will work alongside investigators and attorneys in one of the largest public defender offices in the country to understand how the day-to-day of criminal justice can work at the public prosecutor level. You may assist in summarizing witness statements for impeachment purposes during trial or researching specific mental health statutes relevant to competency hearings. You will get to engage in hands-on case preparation the same way that licensed attorneys do, gaining real legal experience while still in high school.
8. Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS): Politics of Law & Economics
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: $7,000; Need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 21 – July 3; July 5 – 17; July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: October 15 (early); January 7 (regular)
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors aged 16-18 years by program start date
YYGS’s Politics of Law & Economics is unique from other options on this list as it sits at the intersection of economics, governance, legal frameworks, and social justice. In this track, you will analyze legal structures through the lens of economic efficiency and political theory. You will engage in seminars that might cover constitutional interpretation, international human rights law, or the economics of crime and punishment. It’s a strong option if you want to develop your critical thinking and analytical skills in a more interdisciplinary fashion.
9. Harvard Pre-College Program: Legal Studies
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $6,100 per course + $75 application fee; Limited scholarships available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 21 – July 2; July 5 – 17; July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: January 7 (early); February 11 (regular)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors aged 16-18
Harvard offers several pre-college courses under its Legal Studies track. You can enroll in specialized courses such as Constitutional Law, Introduction to American Law, or Law and History. These are rigorous, non-credit academic courses that provide the intensity of a college seminar. You will read landmark Supreme Court cases, dissect the majority and dissenting opinions, and learn the specific “IRAC” (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) method used in law schools to brief cases.
10. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Legal Studies: Critical Thinking for Courtroom Success
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: $3,200; Need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 15 – 26 OR July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9-11, aged 13-19
Stanford’s pre-college program offers a course titled Legal Studies: Critical Thinking for Courtroom Success, which focuses on the application of critical thinking and argumentation to legal trials. As a participant, you will learn to analyze complex facts, evaluate evidence, and construct persuasive arguments just like a professional advocate. It is a highly interactive experience, utilizing lively debates, role-playing, and collaborative group work to help you master the art of anticipating opposing viewpoints. The course culminates in a mock trial where you serve as an attorney or witness to await a judicial verdict.
11. University of Chicago Summer Session – Human Rights: Foundational Concepts, Global Challenges
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Cost: $9,300; Need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 15 – July 2
Application Deadline: March 12
Eligibility: Current 9th-11th graders
The Human Rights: Foundational Concepts, Global Challenges is a writing-intensive seminar that pushes you to examine the philosophical and legal architecture of human rights, the foundational concept of criminal justice. You will trace the evolution of international norms from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to contemporary debates surrounding cultural relativism and state sovereignty. Through the analysis of real-world case studies involving freedom of expression and gender equality, you will evaluate how international organizations and grassroots movements navigate the friction between paper rights and actual enforcement.
12. Penn Arts & Sciences Social Change & Social Justice Academy
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $6,700; Limited scholarships available for Philadelphia residents enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia public or charter high schools
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 11 – 25
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Current 9th-11th graders with a minimum 3.5 GPA
Penn’s Social Change & Social Justice Academy is a foundational course within the broader field of criminal justice. It is a dialogue-oriented program that explores the concept of social justice, its manifestations in different contexts, and potential approaches to achieving it. Unlike more technical programs on this list, this program is more philosophical, and the pedagogy reflects that. There are guest speaker sessions, film critiques, discourse on music, field trips, and group discussions, all designed to bring together diverse views on the nature of justice and its existence in society.
13. Brown University Pre-College: Leadership, Law, and Social Movements
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: $6,058 (residential); $4,748 (commuter); Multiple scholarship options available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 22 – July 2
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: 9th-12th graders
Brown University Pre-College’s Leadership, Law, and Social Movements course focuses on the law as a tool for social change. You will study historical and contemporary social movements to understand how legal strategies—such as test case litigation—have been used to advance civil rights. You will analyze the relationship between grassroots organizing and high-level policy making, learning to map the stakeholders in complex legal battles and developing action plans that integrate legal action with public advocacy. If you want to work at the intersection of public policy, law, justice, and social change, this is a good option to consider.
14. Georgetown University’s Pre-College Programs: Forensic Investigation Academy
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $6,465 (residential); $5,075 (commuter); Limited need-based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 14 – 26
Application Deadline: January 31 (early); April 15 (regular)
Eligibility: High school students with at least a 2.0 GPA
The Forensic Investigation Academy is focused almost entirely on the technical methodology of criminal investigation. You will learn from actual practitioners, like crime scene technicians and death investigators, to understand the specific protocols of evidence collection, such as casting tire treads or lifting latent fingerprints. You will learn to apply deductive reasoning to mock crime scenes, where you must document blood spatter patterns and ballistic trajectories to reconstruct the sequence of events. You will leave with a much more robust understanding of how raw forensic data is processed into admissible courtroom evidence.
15. Michigan Math and Science Scholars (MMSS): Forensic Physics
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost: $2,500; Limited need-based financial aid available + the merit-based Watson A. Young Scholarship
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: June 21 – July 3; July 5 – 17; July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: Rolling; Applications open mid-January
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors
The Michigan Math and Science Scholars (MMSS) offers a course in an applied physics laboratory dedicated entirely to the application of the principles of physics to crime detection and prevention. The curriculum involves optical physics for examining trace evidence and utilizing UV light properties to detect materials invisible to the naked eye, among many other niche applications. You will work at UMich’s Intermediate and Advanced Physics Laboratories to understand both the theory and the practice of the principles of physics used in the analysis of crime scenes. You’ll also get to apply this knowledge in a variety of complex mock crime scenes, where you must collect data and apply physical laws to build a case that stands up to scientific scrutiny.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like criminal behavior analysis, forensic investigation, criminal law, or social justice policy, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
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