Ohio BJA FY 2024 John R. Justice (JRJ) Program

Attorneys employed in Ohio as eligible prosecutors or public defenders are encouraged to apply to the John R. Justice (JRJ) Student Loan Repayment Program through the Ohio Department of Higher Education. A priority deadline will be established, after which all received applications will be processed and scored. A minimum award amount will be determined separately for prosecutors and public defenders. If the number of applications exceeds the available funding for the minimum award, a scoring methodology will be implemented. Applications will be ranked based on an assessment of each applicant’s ability to repay student loan debt, with a ratio calculated between student loan debt and gross annual salary. Applicants with the least ability to pay will receive higher priority for awards.

The scoring methodology will also consider two additional factors: length of time in loan repayment and length of public service as a prosecutor or public defender. These factors allow applicants who have already paid off a significant portion of their loans to remain competitive, as their loan-to-salary ratio may be lower. Additionally, this system rewards applicants who have already fulfilled the core requirement of the JRJ program—continuous service as a prosecutor or public defender. Efforts will also be made to ensure diverse geographic representation among award recipients by selecting at least one recipient from each of Ohio’s twelve workforce development regions.

Each recipient will be required to sign a service agreement, committing to an additional three years of service as a prosecutor or public defender. Award amounts will be sent directly to the recipient’s student loan servicer and applied to outstanding qualifying student loan debt. Annual follow-up checks will ensure that recipients are fulfilling the terms of their service agreements.