Chloe Wise – Criminal Justice Internship

Hi! My name is Chloe Wise, and I am currently interning at the New Holland District Court. I work alongside Dawn (the Office Manager and my mentor), Charlie (Criminal Clerk), Kendal (Non-Traffic and Traffic Clerk), and Judge Jonathan Heisse (the Judge). This court oversees the New Holland, West Earl, East Earl, Earl, and Brecknock townships, which provides me the opportunity to meet many new people. At my internship, I have the opportunity to observe a variety of court hearings ranging from ones concerning traffic citations to landlord-tenant to criminal complaints. I decided to apply for this internship because I have always been interested in the criminal justice field, by being given this opportunity I have been able to expand my knowledge of the court systems and the clerical side of the job.

My daily tasks vary from day to day depending on the number of hearings scheduled. Some days there are a lot of hearings, so I get to sit in the courtroom and observe them. These hearings can be traffic citations, non-traffic violations, civil, landlord-tenant, or criminal hearings. Moreover, every week or so there are criminal blocks where a bunch of criminal hearings is scheduled together in either the morning or the afternoon. On these days, public defenders and district attorneys gather to represent their clients in front of the judge.  I enjoy these days because I get to meet many different people with different occupations, and they provide me the opportunity to build relationships with these people. On other days, when there are fewer hearings scheduled, I help the office ladies with their tasks. These tasks include completing e-payments, pulling cases for the next day and creating the schedule, and filing.

This internship has given me many opportunities to meet and build relationships with many people in the criminal justice field.  I have met many public defenders and district attorneys, as well as many police officers, Judge Heisse, Judge Hartman, and a crime scene investigator. Judge Heisse was able to set up a meeting with a crime scene investigator and she came into the office so that I could talk to her about her job. She has now offered me the chance to shadow her for a day where she’ll walk me through her day, explain her job more in-depth, and set up an opportunity for me to talk to a few of her colleagues about their positions as well. A few other amazing opportunities I was given were the chance to go to a criminal hearing and domestic violence court at the Lancaster County Court House.

If you are interested in pursuing a job in the criminal justice field, you should definitely consider this internship! I have learned so much about the court system and the clerical side in the office, met many people and built relationships, as well as experienced amazing opportunities as an intern here. If you are unsure exactly what you want to do in the criminal justice field, this internship can help you determine what you like and dislike in the field. Moreover, Internships help you gain job experience and start networking with people in your field. I am so grateful for my internship and everything that I’ve learned these past months!