Still, PDS does include as part of its training techniques on how to dress and how to approach and talk with people to minimize any potential safety risks. This program offers an impressive array of perks that will appeal to anyone interested in gaining a first-hand glimpse at the inner workings of our criminal justice system. Interns are taken on a series of tours that would fascinate even Hannibal Lechter, visiting the Police Mobile Crime Unit, the autopsy room at Chief Medical Examiner's Office, the facility for the criminally insane at St. Elizabeth's, and the lock-down ward at Lorton Penitentiary.
Interns also have the opportunity to meet with federal prosecutors, vice squad officers, and judges.
Furthermore, PDS encourages student investigators to attend court while in session. Interns do not receive monetary compensation for their work, but PDS does reimburse student investigators for travel by car at 25cents per mile. To help students find housing in Washington, D.C., PDS provides successful applicants with a housing bulletin that lists available housing with short-term leases, information about roommate and apartment search services, and available local dorm housing. PDS only includes housing that members of the staff or former interns have seen and can recommend. The PDS offices are in Judiciary Square, which is home to the D.C. Superior Court House, U.S. Federal Courthouse, U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department.