The Prison Society is the oldest humanitarian organization in the county, and our small team works to promote the health, safety, and dignity of people in prison and their families through one-on-one support, monitoring prison conditions, and education and advocacy.
Interns help us meet the complex needs of incarcerated people and their families by supporting the daily operations of our office. Over the course of your internship, you will learn about the history of the Prison Society and the organization’s unique statutory access to PA state and county correctional facilities. You will also learn about how incarceration affects families and loved ones on the outside.
Interns will also have opportunities to engage with outside partners and experiences, including attending legislative events in Harrisburg, engaging with formerly incarcerated people, and attending community events with partners such as Eastern State Penitentiary.
This internship is a good fit for you if you are flexible, passionate about criminal justice reform issues, and have good written communication skills. You should be ready to engage with our staff about your interests and to lend your skills to help advance our mission.
Tasks and Responsibilities
The tasks and responsibilities of interns include, but are not limited to:
- Responding to letters from incarcerated people who are seeking vital information and resources.
- Processing requests for Prison Monitoring Official Visits and documenting complaints about prison conditions
- Collaborating with staff members on acute projects. Let us know your interests and the skills you are hoping to hone so we can best match our needs. Prior interns have analyzed historical program participant demographics, developed social media content and fact sheets, and researched emerging trends in parole.
Requirements
Academic year internships have a minimum weekly commitment of 10 hours per week.
- Interns may be undergraduate or graduate students. 4-5 full-time interns will be selected.
- Start and end dates are flexible, but interns typically begin during the last two weeks of August and end in the last two weeks of April. We will not consider interns for only one semester. This internship is unpaid, but we are happy to work with you if you are seeking school credit for your internship.
- Applications are typically reviewed in May and offers finalized by mid June.
Summer internships have a minimum weekly commitment of 40 hours per week.
- Interns may be undergraduate or graduate students. 4-5 full-time interns will be selected.
- Start and end dates are flexible, but interns typically begin during the last two weeks of May and end the first two weeks of August.
- This internship is in-person, and interns must commit to coming in-person to our Philadelphia office.
- If you are not receiving school funding or credit for this summer internship, you are eligible to receive a stipend. Please note in your application email if you are pursuing credit for your internship, and any deadlines or requirements needed to obtain credit or work study funding.
- Applications are typically reviewed in March and offers finalized by mid April.
All interested applicants must submit a cover letter and resume through our website.