Virginia DCJS - John R. Justice Grant Program

Many law school students must borrow heavily to finance their legal education, leaving them saddled with substantial debt when they graduate. According to bankrate.com, according to the American Bar Association, the average law school student graduates owe more than $165,000 in educational debt. In addition, more than 95% of students take out loans to attend law school. Thus, lawyers who might otherwise consider work as prosecutors or public defenders are often unwilling to accept or remain in these critically important positions because they need to find more lucrative private sector employment. 

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) seeks to assist full-time prosecutors and public defenders in repaying their education loans to encourage them to remain as prosecutors and defenders, rather than seek more lucrative private sector work. DCJS will work with existing prosecutors and public defender organizations to disseminate JRJ information to their attorneys and invite them to apply throughout the state. This ensures a fair distribution of funding based on geography, demographics, backgrounds, and experiences. Applicants will apply directly to DCJS, which will use a panel of reviewers to decide which applicants receive funding and make payments accordingly. Funds will be split and distributed equitably between prosecutors and public defenders, depending on the number of applicants.

Before the availability of JRJ funding, the Commonwealth of Virginia had approximately 841 State prosecutors. There is no number available for public defenders for that period. Also, a definitive number of federal prosecutors or public defenders in the federal offices in Virginia is not available for that period. Currently, in Virginia, prosecutions in criminal cases are the responsibility of 120 locally elected Commonwealth’s Attorneys whose offices employ approximately 645 attorneys. The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission operates 28 public defender offices and two satellite offices across the Commonwealth. In addition, federal public defender offices in Virginia’s Western District include staff offices in Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Abingdon while the Eastern District includes the Northern Virginia area, greater Richmond area, and Tidewater region.