John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program for NY Prosecutors and Public Defenders Announced

ALBANY, NY (03/11/2011)(readMedia)-- Eligible public defenders and prosecutors in New York State may now be able to receive assistance with their federal student loan payments as an incentive to remain in these critical roles in the criminal justice system.

The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is pleased to announce that New York State now participates in the John R. Justice (JRJ) Student Loan Repayment Program.

The program, named for the late John Reid Justice of South Carolina, encourages qualified attorneys to choose careers as prosecutors and public defenders and to continue in that service. The program provides repayment of federal educational loans on behalf of eligible state and federal prosecutors and State public defenders who agree to remain employed in those positions for at least three years. Federal funds for the program are awarded to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which has an agreement with HESC to administer the program.

JRJ applicants may, in some cases, also be eligible for a New York State District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services Attorney (DA/ILSA) Loan Forgiveness Program award. The JRJ award can be used to supplement New York's DA/ILSA Loan Forgiveness Program. Since 2006, more than 1,800 loan forgiveness awards have been provided to eligible attorneys participating in the DA/ILSA.

New York State's JRJ Program has more than $550,000 in available funding. The State expects to grant up to 124 awards for the period October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011, with estimated annual award payments of $3,790 per recipient. An eligible attorney may not receive more than $60,000 in total lifetime benefits under the Program.

A minimum of one award for a prosecutor and one award for a public defender will be reserved for each New York State county within which recipients are employed. Unused awards will be distributed proportionately among counties based on population.

To apply for the JRJ, applicants must complete the District Attorney/Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness Program/John R. Justice Loan Repayment Program Supplement found at HESC.org. Deadline for submitting 2010 applications is May 1, 2011.

About HESC: HESC is New York State's student financial aid agency, helping people pay for college by providing more grant and scholarship award money than any other state in the nation. At HESC's core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, the New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPs), federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these, and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2009-10, HESC helped more than 605,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing $4.4 billion in grants, scholarships and loan guarantees, including $901 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to nearly 398,000 students.

About DCJS: DCJS is a multi-function criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including collection and analysis of statewide crime data; operation of the DNA databank and criminal fingerprint files; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the state's Sex Offender Registry and a toll-free telephone number (1-800-262-3257) that allows anyone to research the status of an offender.

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