Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office summer interns saw firsthand this week some of the consequences of their possible future careers.

Fourteen interns toured the Stanislaus County Public Safety Facility on Wednesday, and learned what those who are arrested and sentenced to jail time go through on a daily basis.

Among the 14 interns were Turlock High grads Jazzy Vargas (UC Berkeley) and Mallory Chartrand (BYU) and Pitman High grad Angelina Halleck.

Halleck is studying criminal justice with a minor in pre-law at Stanislaus State. She hopes to one day become a prosecutor or criminal investigator. She said the summer internship program was perfect for her future goals.

“It's honestly given me just that excitement, like this is something I really do want to do,” she said.

Ceres native and current UC San Diego student Jessica Najar said she always knew she wanted to do some kind of civic engagement while at home for the summer and this internship really opened her eyes on everything the District Attorney’s Office deals with on a regular basis.

“This is something I'd be interested in…I always knew I wanted to do law, but I wasn't sure what field I wanted to be in. But after this internship, I [learned] having empathy when working in the law field is important. I feel like everyone talks about it, or it's like portrayed as this like non-empathetic career. But you really are super close to everyone, and you have to have empathy to fulfill this career,” said Najar.

On Wednesday, the interns were given a tour of the jail, from intake to the different types of holding cells and long-term housing pods. The interns also spent an hour “locked down” in a cell pod just to get a small dose of the restricted life that those in custody experience.

Deputy District Attorney Patrick Hogan has been running the DA summer internship program for the past four years. He said there were nearly 90 applicants for the 16 positions and he expects that interest to grow.

According to Hogan, the program was designed as an opportunity for local college undergraduate and high school students to experience the work that the District Attorney’s office does for Stanislaus County. Individuals selected to participate in the program work on active cases alongside dedicated prosecutors and investigators, completing work including reviewing evidence for trials and hearings, preparing transcripts, and completing written summaries of evidence and reports.

“Critically, we want participants in the program to gain a broad sense of the complex ecosystem of criminal law, so they also are given the opportunity to hear the perspectives of local elected officials, law enforcement, defense attorneys, victim advocates, victims of crime, judges, and also see and experience what life is like in custody. We want the students to leave the program with a deeper appreciation of the work that goes into criminal prosecution, and the complexity of the world in which we operate,” he said.

“I am a resident of Stanislaus County, and I love living and serving here. I feel like too many of our brightest young people feel that to find opportunities they have to look outside of the County. This, of course, simply isn’t the case. We wanted to build a program that would show our young people not only that opportunities for incredibly dynamic work exist here, but that in choosing vocations like being a part of this office or law enforcement, they can provide genuinely critical service to the county we love. Every summer we do this program, it is an investment in our young people, showing them that we want to help expand their horizons and knowledge, and that we truly are dedicated to their growth as citizens and members of our community,” Hogan continued.