The John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program
Utah Prosecution Council has been designated as the agency to award and disburse loan repayment assistance through the John R. Justice Prosecutor and Defender Incentive Act (JRJ) in the State of Utah.
Who is Eligible?
Any person employed full time in Utah as a state, county, municipal or tribal prosecutor (federal prosecutors are not eligible) or employed full time as a federal defender or a public defender in an eligible county defender office.
For eligibility under the JRJ program, prosecutors and public defenders are defined as follows:
Prosecutor
A full-time employee of a state or unit of local government (including tribal government) who is continually licensed to practice law and who prosecutes criminal or juvenile delinquency cases at the state or unit of local government (including supervision, education, or training of other persons prosecuting such cases). 42 U.S.C.§3797cc-21(b)(1). Prosecutors who are employees of the federal government are not eligible.
Public Defender
An attorney who is continually licensed to practice law and is:
- A full-time employee of a state or unit of local government (including tribal government) who provides legal representation to indigent persons in criminal or juvenile delinquency cases, including supervision, education, or training of other persons providing such representation; OR
- A full-time employee of a nonprofit organization operating under a contract with a state or unit of local government who devotes substantially all of the employee’s full-time employment to providing legal representation to indigent persons in criminal or juvenile delinquency cases, including supervision, education, or training of other persons providing such representation; OR
- A full time federal defender attorney in a defender organization pursuant to Subsection (g) of section 3006A of Title 18, United States Code, that provides legal representation to indigent persons in criminal or juvenile delinquency cases. 42 U.S.C. §3797cc-21(b)(2).