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Summer 2026 - Intern, Restoring Promise

Brooklyn, NY

About the team:

Restoring Promise is an initiative of the Vera Institute of Justice that seeks to transform prison cultures, climates, and spaces by partnering with correctional leaders to reimagine housing units for young adults and realign corrections policies and practices with a commitment to human dignity.   

As Restoring Promise prepares for the next phase of our strategic plan, we are partnering with new and existing partner states to open young adult housing units and work on culture change inside women’s correctional facilities. Restoring Promise seeks to make our approach more gender-responsive and inclusive. Up until now, Restoring Promise has partnered with Connecticut Department of Corrections on the WORTH (Women Overcoming Recidivism Through Hard Work) unit at the York Correctional  Institution in Niantic, CT, which opened in June, 2018. WORTH is currently our only unit in a women’s prison and has been a leader within Restoring Promise, often inspiring other young adult housing units with their innovative programming, mentorship models, and accountability process. Restoring Promise seeks to expand our work in women’s prisons, meet the needs of people living in women’s prisons, and build evidence for Restoring Promise’s effectiveness in women’s prisons.    

The internship is designed as an opportunity for someone to assist in the design and implementation of new Restoring Promise housing units in women’s prisons with new and existing partnership states beyond Connecticut. The Restoring Promise intern will bring their experience (if relevant) to new states building women’s units within our Department of Corrections partnership states. The intern will serve as a connector between members of the WORTH unit and the new partnership states. The intern will support Restoring Promise’s technical assistance, support the development of our implementation plans, training plans and research plans for the new women’s units to help make our approach more gender responsive and inclusive.  

 The intern will learn: 

  • The process of programmatic technical assistance 
  • How to develop implementation, training, and research plans 
  • Facilitation, note-taking and presentation skills 

About the role:

1. Technical Assistance 

  • Support the program team by participating in implementation workgroup meetings with current and new DOC partner states as they plan for their new units in women’s facilities and as they plan for culture change for residents and staff 
  • Assist in the facilitation of meetings with incarcerated residents and staff  
  • Provide advice and perspective based on experience (if relevant) 

2. Support development of training materials for new women’s units and the Restoring Promise team 

  • Collaborate with the Program Manager to revise the Restoring Promise training materials to ensure they are gender-responsive and inclusive. 
  • Gather resources and guides to inform building a more gender responsive approach to our Restoring Promise training 
  • Gather resources, guides, and best practices for building a training for the Restoring Promise team on gender justice and gender sensitivity for working with people in women’s prisons 

3. Support research development 

  • Provide feedback and use expertise to collaborate with Research colleagues to inform the development of indicators and surveys for use in the new Restoring Promise women’s units. 

What qualifications are we looking for?

Required: 

  • Passion for expanding access to Restoring Promise units for women across the country  

Preferred: 

  • Recent experience of incarceration in a women’s prison or other institution, or as a staff member in a women’s prison preferred.  
  • Previous or current involvement with volunteer or paid efforts to support or advocate on behalf of peers 

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring: 

  • Practical computer and tech knowledge (email, Zoom, Microsoft Office including Teams, Outlook and SharePoint, Slack, etc.) or if little experience willingness and aptitude to jump in and learn quickly 
  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills  
  • Ability to write for multiple audiences  
  • Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail  
  • Self-starter 

Technical knowledge helpful for this role:

  • Access to necessary technology (email, internet, etc.)  

Location:

Please note this role is a remote role. 

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $17.00 - $25.00. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff - both personally and professionally - is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well-being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here. 

Application Process:

To receive further consideration for this career opportunity, applicants are asked preliminary questions about logistics, their interest and qualifications. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional details about their experience via a phone screen/form in advance of an invitation for a virtual or in-person interview with the team. Some searches may explore scenarios during the interview process and/or an assessment prior to reference checks and a hiring decision.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / Summer 2026 - Intern, Restoring Promise
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. 

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org.

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