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Youth Justice Advocacy Fellow - Summer 2025

Organizational Overview

The Sentencing Project advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice. The Sentencing Project engages in research and advocacy on sentencing and related issues, advocates for criminal justice policy and practice reform, and conducts broad-scale public education through media, online, and other communications. Information about The Sentencing Project is available at www.sentencingproject.org.

Job Description and Responsibilities

The Sentencing Project is seeking an undergraduate fellow for its Youth Justice advocacy team. The fellow will provide advocacy support to address youth in adult courts, racial and ethnic disparities, and effective decarceration and prison closure strategies. They may also be asked to support other ongoing projects and work including bill tracking, writing and editing support, and attending educational webinars or events relevant to the youth justice field.

Projects may include:

  • Providing campaign support in event planning, scheduling and attending meetings and notetaking;
  • Maintaining weekly media tracking reports on important bills and issue areas for the youth justice team.
  • Maintaining and updating a legislative tracking spreadsheet with the latest actions on legislation relevant to the youth justice team’s priorities.
  • Supporting the youth justice team’s research agenda.

Compensation

This is a part-time position for 24 hours/week at $25/hr, over 13 weeks for the Summer. Applications are due April 14, 2025, with an anticipated start date on or after May 19, 2025. Strong preference will be given to candidates residing in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan area. The Sentencing Project operates in a hybrid office environment.

Application Procedure

Submit a cover letter, resume, two references, and a two-page writing sample to: employment@sentencingproject.org.

The Sentencing Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultural diversity and ensures that Applicants have equal opportunity for recruitment and selection without regard to their race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, prior convictions, or status as a protected veteran.

We strongly encourage applicants with direct personal or familial experience with the criminal legal system. This position is not subject to a background check.

If there are any parts of the application requirements that you cannot fill out, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.