12/21/09 -- NCJFCJ's research division, the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) located in Pittsburgh, PA, has announced a new college scholarship opportunity for high school students through the Maurice B. Cohill Jr. Young Investigator Award.

The Cohill Award is named after NCJJ’s founder, the Honorable Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. a former juvenile court judge who serves as a senior judge in the U.S. Federal Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Judge Cohill has dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice for young people in the juvenile justice system and developed NCJJ into the nation’s preeminent juvenile justice research organization. In honor of Judge Cohill’s decades of dedication and service to the field of juvenile justice research, NCJJ is looking for the next generation of young law and justice researchers and scholars who can demonstrate the curiosity, passion, insight, and creativity that underscores NCJJ’s mission:
“Providing effective justice to youth and families through research and technical assistance.”

The Cohill Award will select four high school students each year (grades 11 and 12) from across the nation to receive recognition for exemplary research papers written on one of four research topics:

• Juvenile Law and Public Policy;
• Juvenile Courts and Probation;
• Juvenile Delinquency and Dependency; and
• Juvenile Crime and Law Data Analysis and Interpretation. 

Please visit www.ncjj.org to download application materials, or contact Ms. Lora Leddy at NCJJ for more information.