Job Description
2021 Summer Internship Program
REFORM Alliance
New York, NY
Remote
2021 Summer Internship Program
OFFICE LOCATION: New York City; Washington, D.C.; or Remote
About REFORM Alliance:
REFORM is committed to transforming probation and parole throughout the United States by changing laws, systems, and culture. The organization is working to replace America’s criminal justice system with a restorative approach that is fair, accountable and invested in rehabilitation. Our goal is for people to reenter society with dignity, create meaningful pathways to work and equip them with the tools to succeed all while making families and communities safer and stronger.
REFORM was founded in the wake of the #FreeMeek movement by award-winning recording artist Meek Mill; Philadelphia 76ers partner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin; Arnold Ventures co-founder Laura Arnold; entrepreneur and business mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter; Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Galaxy Digital CEO and founder Michael E. Novogratz; Vista Equity Partners founder, chairman, CEO Robert F. Smith; Brooklyn Nets co-owner and philanthropic investor Clara Wu Tsai; and CNN host and activist Van Jones. Veteran criminal justice advocate Robert Rooks leads the organization as CEO.
2021 Internship Program Overview
REFORM is seeking candidates for our 2021 summer internship program. The ideal candidate is passionate about criminal justice reform, a self-starter, and eager to learn in a team environment. People who have been directly impacted by or involved with the criminal justice system are encouraged to apply. The internship is an opportunity to grow our interns’ knowledge of the power of storytelling and the fight to reform the justice system.
This is a non-exempt position and students will receive an hourly rate, exposure to leaders in this space and company initiatives, and the opportunity to build transferable business skills. Projects are designed to build knowledge, skills, and professional experience.
Internships will start between June 14 and July 1 and last up to eight weeks. Interns will work and participate in internship activities from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
REFORM is seeking up to twelve (12) interns in three (3) departments (Memberships & Grassroots Partnerships; Finance; and Policy) to work on eight (8) projects as set forth below. Please specify in your application which project(s) interest you. Note that while some projects are open to students seeking a bachelor/graduate degree at an accredited institution and REFORM will also consider rising high school seniors and May 2020 graduates, some positions have special requirements. For example, Project #2 requires an accounting major with at least one year of post-secondary education; and for one position on Project #4, REFORM is seeking candidates who have completed at least one year of law school.
PROJECTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Project #1 - Memberships and Grassroots Partnerships Coordination - Up to three positions
The Intern: Memberships and Grassroots Partnerships Coordinator will provide direct support to the Sr. Director, Memberships & Partnerships, in developing the REFORMER experience. Responsibilities will include Special Assistant/Coordinator support for the Sr. Director, including
Meeting preparation and follow-up;
Support creating presentations;
Scheduling;
E-mail and other correspondence;
Project Management and tracking tasks;
Research; and
Other Special Assistant/Coordinator support as identified by the Sr. Director.
The Intern: Memberships and Grassroots Partnerships Coordinator will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by supporting the Sr. Director in defining the REFORMER experience and implementing the 2021 Q2 - Q3 strategy.
Project #2 - Finance Management - One position
The Intern: Finance Management will provide direct support to the Finance Manager on a variety of activities. Responsibilities will include work such as:
Depreciation Schedules;
Maintaining pre-paid assets;
Maintaining the quarterly portal;
Document Management;
Other tasks as identified by the Finance Manager.
The Intern: Finance Management will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by ensuring the responsible allocation of resources.
Special Qualifications for Project #2:
Must be pursuing a bachelor/graduate degree in Accounting with some experience in Excel.
Project #3 - Grassroots Organizing - One position
The Intern: Grassroots Organizing will provide direct support to the Policy Team, specifically the Senior Organizing Strategist. The Intern: Grassroots Organizing will be responsible for assisting with compiling and connecting REFORM with organizations and entities that align with our legislative priorities.
Tasks will include:
Identify smaller local organizations to jointly partner with nationwide;
Update data documents with contact information for identified groups.
Other tasks as identified by the Senior Organizing Strategist.
The Intern: Grassroots Organizing will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by increasing our connections with organizations that share and align with our legislative priorities.
Project #4 - Statutory Research: 50-State Survey - Two positions
The Intern: Statutory Research will provide support to the Policy Team, specifically the Policy Manager. The Intern: Statutory Research will be responsible for researching parole and probation statutes for REFORM’s 50-state overview.
Tasks will include:
Research probation and parole laws for points identified by Legal Director;
Fill out at least four columns of the overview with accuracy, precision, and detail;
Draft talking points and memos based on statutory information collected;
Other tasks as identified by the Policy Manager and Team.
The Intern: Statutory Research will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by maintaining and continuously improving REFORM’s library of research on state supervision statutes.
Special Qualifications for Project #4:
All candidates must be pursuing a bachelor/graduate degree at an accredited institution. REFORM is seeking at least one intern for Project #4 who is a law school student at an accredited institution and who has completed at least one year.
Project #5 - Special Pilot Program (Supervision) - One position
The Intern: Special Pilot Program (Supervision) will provide support to the Policy Team, specifically the Policy Manager. The Intern: Special Pilot Program (Supervision) will be responsible for identifying, researching, and analyzing relevant probation and parole pilots across the nation and internationally.
Tasks will include:
Identify and analyze at least 3 relevant supervision pilots or special courts, such as the Hope project;
Create a spreadsheet with the relevant pilots and special courts;
Analyze and categorize data for those pilots so that REFORM can easily identify similarities and differences to our model policies and effectively utilize the available data from relevant pilots;
Other tasks as identified by the Policy Manager and Team.
The Intern: Special Pilot Program (Supervision) will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by furthering the vision and strategy for transforming offices of community supervision to offices of community support.
Project #6 - Data Research and Analysis (State Probation and Parole) - Two positions
The Intern: Data Research and Analysis (State Probation and Parole) will provide support to the Policy Team, specifically the Policy Manager. The Intern: Data Research and Analysis (State Probation and Parole) will be responsible for researching parole and probation data in REFORM’s projected 2022 states.
Tasks will include:
Collect and categorize data for REFORM’s 2022 states;
Write memos prioritizing states and issues identified by the Policy Team and based on the data;
Create data summaries;
Other tasks as identified by the Policy Manager and Team.
The Intern: Data Research and Analysis (State Probation and Parole) will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by maintaining and continuously improving REFORM’s library and use of data in support of REFORM’s state legislative initiatives.
Project #7 - Data Research and Analysis (Federal Supervision) - One position
The Intern: Data Research and Analysis (Federal Supervision) will provide support to the Policy Team, specifically the Policy Manager. The Intern: Data Research and Analysis (Federal Supervision) will be responsible for researching probation and supervised release data and policies for REFFORM’s federal bill.
Tasks will include:
Collect and categorize federal supervision data;
Maintain the Policy Team’s federal strategy document;
Create data summaries as directed by the Policy Team; and
Other tasks as identified by the Policy Manager and Team.
The Intern: Data Research and Analysis (Federal Supervision) will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by maintaining and continuously improving REFORM’s library and use of data in support of REFORM’s federal legislative initiatives.
Project #8 - Court Records and Court Watching - One position
The Intern: Court Records and Court Watching will provide direct support to the Policy Team, specifically the Legal Director. The Intern: Court Records and Court Watching will be responsible for researching and collecting court documents with the goal of identifying 7-10 fully-vetted stories that support REFORM’s legislative initiatives and theory of change and can be shared across REFORM’s platforms.
Tasks will include researching and vetting supervision cases according to REFORM processes, in particular in jurisdictions where REFORM is pursuing or will pursue policy reform, by:
Collecting and Investigating court documents;
Attending court hearings;
Drafting talking points and memoranda based on information collected;
Other tasks as identified by the Legal Director.
The Intern: Legal Research will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by vetting and collecting 7-10 stories that support REFORM’s legislative initiatives and theory of change.
Project #9 - Grassroots Relationship Management - One position
The Intern: Grassroots Relationship Management will provide direct support to the Chief of Staff to the CEO of REFORM. The Intern: Grassroots Relationship Management will be responsible for researching criminal justice reform leaders and organizations that align with REFORM's mission and supporting the Chief of Staff in maintaining and building contact and engagement with the field.
Tasks will include:
Researching a list of 30,000 contacts;
Identify and support implementation of an engagement plan;
Other tasks as identified by the Chief of Staff.
The Intern: Grassroots Organizing will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by increasing our connections with leaders and organizations that share and align with our priorities.
Project #10 - Design Support - One position
The Intern: Design Support will provide direct support to the Chief of Staff to the CEO of REFORM. The Intern: Design Support will be responsible for creating internal and external facing branded content to support the Office of the CEO. The Intern: Design Support may also have the opportunity to work with the Social and Digital Teams at REFORM to create and distribute content across multiple channels.
Tasks will include:
Creating presentations with instruction from the Chief of Staff;
Depicting data and other graphics with instruction from the Chief of Staff;
Other tasks as identified by the Chief of Staff.
The Intern: Design Support will contribute to the team and overall organization mission by creating, maintaining and continuously improving REFORM’s templates, presentations and use of data to demonstrate REFORM’s goals, objectives and achievements.
QUALIFICATIONS
Qualifications for all Interns are as follows unless noted above:
Must be pursuing a bachelor/graduate degree at an accredited institution OR must be rising HS Sr. or recent May 2020 graduate
Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
Ability to work in a team setting as well as independently with minimal supervision
Ability to work remotely, including your own laptop and wifi
Strong interest in our mission
Reliable, organized and possess excellent analytical and interpersonal skills
Preferred: Understanding of news research and able to independently recognize trends
Preferred: Proficient Google Suite and firm knowledge of internet navigation skills required.
Must have some previous internship experience and/or participated in college clubs/organizations, and/or in-depth coursework in a related field
Eligibility requirements:
Must be 18 years of age or older
Employment/education will be verified
Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis
At REFORM Alliance, we strive to move hearts and minds to create a more humane criminal justice system. This requires us to maintain a company culture that values employee individuality and community development. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive, empowering and globally minded. We firmly believe that diversity in gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, cultural background, religion, disability and age produces ideas and perspectives that make our efforts stronger for people unjustly in the system and make our company a better place to work. Our leadership team is committed to e