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The Prison Letter Project (PLP) internship offers students hands-on experience coordinating support for incarcerated people. Each year, LSPC receives hundreds of letters from incarcerated individuals in prisons, jails, and ICE detention facilities throughout the United States. Interns play a vital role in helping LSPC respond to every letter, build our inside community, stay in touch with incarcerated All of Us or None members, track issues ripe for systemic change, and invite people to join our organizing and advocacy work. Interns are responsible for researching laws and policies that impact incarcerated people, drafting response letters that include requested legal services and information, and maintaining confidentiality and care throughout.

LSPC holds three internship cycles: Fall (August-November), Spring (January-May), and Summer (June-August).

LSPC is currently accepting applications for Spring 2027 interns! Internships are part-time (up to 20 hours/week) and hybrid. Internships are available on the PLP and on our Policy team. Please email a resume and cover letter to getinvolved@prisonerswithchildren.org to be considered, and specify for which position you would like to be considered. See the full postings for Policy Interns and PLP Interns for more details.

Full posting

About LSPC

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) is a nonprofit legal organization that fights for the human rights and liberation of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. We build community power through legal advocacy, policy advocacy, community organizing, and leadership development. Our work is grounded in an abolitionist framework and a commitment to racial and gender justice. Learn more at prisonerswithchildren.org.

About the Role

This role is primarily dedicated to supporting LSPC’s Policy team. During the legislative season, LSPC’s policy team sponsors priority policies, monitors, and analyzes policies. This role will with will work with a team of community organizers, movement lawyers, community-based partners and directly impacted people and their families —primarily focused on policy reform in furtherance of LSPC’s mission to:

Release people from jails and prisons
Restore civil and human rights
Reunify families and communities impacted by mass incarceration Our current campaigns (subject to change) focus on fair chance employment and occupational licensing, sentencing reform (adults and youth), ending predatory collection practices of court-ordered debt, family unity and upending the family policing system, ending involuntary servitude, fair chance housing, disability justice, and climate justice for incarcerated people.
Volunteers/Interns must be able to commit 12-15 hours per week.
This is a hybrid role (must be able to come into the office once a week).
We are located at 4400 Market St, Oakland, CA 94608.
Please note that this is an unpaid position. However, interns are eligible to receive academic credit.

What You’ll Do

Policy Advocacy and Support

Analyze requests for LSPC to support or oppose proposed policies for criminal justice reform
Triage policy support or opposition requests by legislative deadlines and policy area
Draft letters of support and opposition to be submitted to the California legislature
Incorporate feedback from staff to strengthen and improve responses.

Records Management and Process Compliance

Regularly update organizational spreadsheets to track correspondence and project status.
Utilize Salesforce to organize, update, and track information on policies

Organizational and Cross-Team Support

When capacity allows, volunteers/interns may also support additional program areas:

All of Us or None Organizing: Assist with outreach, events, and campaign support.
Manuals and Resources: Assist in updating and maintaining legal resource manuals.
Policy Narrative: Help transcribe letters coming into policy team

What You Bring

Strong commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice
High attention to detail and accuracy
Excellent written communication and proofreading skills
Ability to take initiative and work independently within clear guidelines
Sound judgment and ability to maintain confidentiality
Effective communication and collaboration skills
Salesforce experience is preferred, but not required

Our Commitment to Equity

LSPC is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities, regardless of age, ancestry, association with a member of a protected class, color, disability (physical, intellectual/developmental, or mental health/psychiatric), gender identity or expression, genetic information or characteristic, marital status, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristic), military and veteran status, national origin, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, or related medical conditions, race (includes hairstyle and hair texture), religious creed (includes dress and grooming practices), reproductive health decision making, sex/gender, sexual orientation, and use of protected leave. We strongly encourage applications from formerly incarcerated and system-impacted people.

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume to the LSPC Community Engagement Coordinator at: getinvolved@prisonerswithchildren.org. The Spring 2027 internship will begin on January 18th and end on April 30th, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.