Internship (Summer): Common Justice
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Department: Common Justice
Type: Internship
Experience: Student (College)
Summer 2010 Internship Posting
The Vera Institute of Justice runs an annual summer internship program for undergraduate, graduate, and law school students. Interns typically work full time in one of Vera’s departments or centers and programs. In addition to working on individual assignments, all interns participate in events organized by the internship coordinator. For example, last summer interns visited Sing Sing Correctional Facility, lunched with executive-level management, and visited Vera demonstration projects.
Applications are due February 1, 2010
To apply please submit a resume, dates of availability and cover letter to:
Online submission preferred.
Summer Internships
Common Justice
150 Court Street, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Applications received after the deadline will be considered if internships remain unfilled after all on-time applications have been considered.
Note: Prospective interns are encouraged to seek independent funding either through an accredited four-year institution, or through fellowship grants or internship programs.
Common Justice (1)
The Vera Institute of Justice has just launched Common Justice, an alternative to incarceration/restorative justice demonstration project that introduces an innovative new approach to violent crime that meets the needs of victims, reduces recidivism, improves satisfaction with the justice system, and has been proven to work elsewhere in the United States and other parts of the world. Common Justice, which is the first project of its kind in the country, provides an alternative to incarceration to defendants facing prison sentences and important opportunity for healing to those harmed by a range of crimes, including assault, burglary, and robbery. The project involves younger adults (ages 16 to 24) facing charges and prison sentences of at least one year in Supreme Court in Brooklyn and those they harm. If the victims welcome the opportunity, these cases are diverted into a conferencing process designed to recognize the harm done, identify the needs and interests of the victim(s), and agree to appropriate actions to hold the responsible party accountable. Staff closely monitors defendants’ compliance with the resultant agreements—which may include extensive community service, rehabilitative and educational programming, violence intervention classes, and restitution, among other sanctions—and connects victims of crime with appropriate services. The project serves as an alternative to incarceration for suitable cases, and stands to save the public substantial sums of money while improving public safety and enhancing the well-being of victims. Common Justice is seeking an intern whose primary responsibility would be to identify suitable cases in Supreme Court and initiate the project’s advocacy to have those cases diverted to the program. The intern would also contribute to other work for the project.
Responsibilities: Help identify suitable Supreme Court cases for the project; screen cases according to program admission criteria; help initiate non-prison alternatives with defense counsel; follow up on potential referrals and track them in program data base; conduct research as necessary; work on other projects as assigned.
Qualifications: Experience in the criminal justice field; strong interest in social justice for the underserved; strong interest in criminal defense issues; ability to work with diverse populations, strong written and oral communication skills; creativity flexibility, patience, follow-through, excellent organizational skills, team player, bilingual Spanish/English desirable.
The Vera Institute of Justice values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer
Please visit www.vera.org for information about Vera.
