CCE Returning Citizen Internship Position Description

The Council for Court Excellence (CCE) is seeking a returning citizen intern to assist in CCE’s work with the DC Reentry Action Network (RAN). RAN is a coalition of community-based nonprofit organizations that provide direct reentry-specific services to justice-involved DC residents. This internship will offer an introduction to advocacy work and coalition management as well as the opportunity to research DC’s criminal justice system and reentry landscape. The intern will be involved in research, policy drafting, planning and facilitating meetings, developing trainings for organizations and returning citizens, and outreach initiatives relating to recruiting new members to RAN. The intern will receive a hands-on experience working with community-based reentry service providers and working towards improving and expanding reentry services for the District’s returning citizens.

The Council for Court Excellence is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization whose mission is to enhance the justice system in the District of Columbia to serve the public equitably. CCE identifies and proposes solutions by collaborating with diverse stakeholders to conduct research, advance policy, educate the public, and increase civic engagement. CCE has a small staff which is governed by and works with a large Board of Directors whose members come from the legal, business, judicial, and civic sectors of the community.

Internship Period and Compensation:
The position is part-time, working a maximum of 15 hours a week, will run from June – September and will be paid $20.51 an hour.

General responsibilities:
The returning citizen intern will solely be involved in CCE’s work with RAN. Responsibilities will include:
• Scheduling and helping to facilitate RAN meetings
• Attending RAN meetings and recording minutes
• Managing RAN’s membership lists and Google groups
• Drafting promotional materials to increase community awareness of RAN
• Developing social media strategies
• Drafting testimony, letters, and other materials to help advance RAN’s policy priorities
• Creating content for RAN’s forthcoming website
• Researching DC policy and best practices in the reentry field
• Attending advocacy meetings and community events on behalf of RAN
• Researching and planning training events and other opportunities for RAN member organizations

Eligibility and Qualifications:
Eligibility is limited to someone with a criminal record, with a preference for someone who has been incarcerated. There are no degree or educational requirements for this internship. However, we are seeking a candidate who has the following skills:
• Good communication skills
• An eagerness to learn and get involved
• Passion for criminal justice reform
• Experience using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Willingness to offer and receive constructive feedback
• Works well in a collaborative group environment

Application Procedure and Deadline:
Prospective interns should email one document containing all of the following: a cover
letter indicating interest in the position and dates and hours per week of availability, a résumé, and a brief writing sample (1-3 pages, excerpts are acceptable). Examples of appropriate writing samples include a letter, testimony, an article, research paper, or short story.

To be considered, you must send all application materials to Casey Anderson at casey.anderson@courtexcellence.org by May 20, 2019.