Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. For more information, visit vera.org.

Vera has a staff of 224 people, is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York and has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.

About the team:

Vera’s research is an essential component of our work to deliver justice and end mass incarceration. Our research is founded on social science principles of independence and methodological rigor and designed to deliver the knowledge that will lead to real world impact. Vera researchers generate and interpret the evidence required to understand problems, develop solutions, shift policies, and change beliefs and norms that perpetuate inequity and impede justice. 

Vera researchers work as part of inter-disciplinary teams to develop and implement theories of change that weave together research, advocacy, communications, and site-based technical assistance (TA). We conceptualize issues and collect the evidence that is needed to understand problems, highlight inequities, design interventions, and advocate for transformative change. With impact at the fore, we work with our teammates and allies to ensure that the knowledge we produce reaches decision-makers in a format that is designed to spur action.

About the role:

The Vera Institute of Justice and CUNY Graduate Center invite applications for Summer Fellows who will be based in Vera’s New York City office. These $4,000 fellowships will be offered to Graduate Center Ph.D. students from any program with research interests in criminal or immigration justice and the work of the Vera Institute. The primary responsibilities of the award winners will be to collaborate with researchers in one of Vera’s 4 centers or programs on research relating to a specific project, including but not limited to data collection, analysis, fieldwork, report writing, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination.  

While Vera’s centers and programs span the criminal legal system, Vera is offering CUNY Fellows projects in select areas. Please see the list of potential projects below and indicate in your application which project or projects are most relevant to your experience and interest. If you are interested in more than one project, be sure to fill out the last page of this document, listing those projects in order of preference. While you can apply for up to 3 projects, successful applicants will be assigned to work with one initiative over the course of the fellowship. 

Fellowship recipients will work with their assigned initiative for 120 hours over the summer of 2025. While there is some flexibility in remote working, fellows will be expected to work onsite at Vera’s offices in Industry City, Brooklyn for at least 60 hours over the course of the summer in line with Vera’s hybrid schedule. In addition, recipients will be required to attend a welcome reception at the beginning of the fellowship, to do a brief presentation on their work at the end of the summer and write a blog post about their experiences before the end of the Fall 2025 semester.

Summer Fellowship Initiatives

Advancing Universal Representation 

Vera welcomes applications from students from all academic backgrounds (e.g., economics, sociology, political science, demography, criminal justice, geography, computer science, mathematics). Candidates with a strong understanding of quantitative methods (such as regression discontinuity, differences-in-differences, etc.) are preferred. Preferred candidates will also have coding skills and training in R, Stata, or Python. The ideal candidate should have some interest in the immigration system in the United States. Applicants with experiences with the immigration system are especially encouraged to apply, including on topics around criminalization and the impact of the criminal legal system on immigrant communities.

Beyond Jails Initiative

The Beyond Jails Initiative works to end mass incarceration and supervision by strategizing on how to reduce jail populations and support community-based solutions beyond law enforcement and the criminal legal system. The Beyond Jails Initiative works across several jurisdictions focusing on a mix of quantitative, qualitative, and economic analyses. We are looking for a summer fellow from a wide range academic backgrounds (e.g., economics, sociology, political science, demography, criminal justice, geography, computer science, mathematics) and experience in mixed methods. Fellows will focus on a mix of projects, including: Analysis of court and probation data from Pennsylvania, using quantitative analysis to understand patterns within and across counties, includes drafting reports, generating data visualization; budget and economic analysis of legal services available to people facing charges in Texas counties. This work includes cost-benefit assessment of potential policy changes as well as qualitative analysis on incentives shaping judicial decision-making in pretrial release and county government decision-making on local criminal legal system policies.

Greater Justice New York

Vera’s Greater Justice New York (GJNY) program works to build a leaner, fairer justice system in which public safety is synonymous with racial equity and community health, and incarceration is the last resort. We are looking for a summer fellow from a wide range academic backgrounds (e.g., economics, sociology, political science, demography, criminal justice, geography, computer science, mathematics) and experience in mixed methods. The GJNY summer fellow will collaborate with team members to create various materials, including factsheets, infographics, and online tools, to help community members and other stakeholders understand the initiative’s key policy goals and the supporting research and evidence. An ideal candidate is creative, passionate about effective storytelling, and either experienced in or eager to learn design and data visualization tools such as Canva, InDesign, and Datawrapper. The ideal candidate is deeply committed to racial justice and eager to explore ways to advance it within New York’s criminal legal policy. The summer fellow will have the opportunity to learn more about New York State’s current key criminal legal policy agenda and the initiative’s strategies for achieving these reforms.

Redefining Public Safety

The goal of Vera’s Redefining Public Safety initiative is to narrow the scope of policing and strengthen investments in a robust and equitable civilian-led public safety ecosystem, including violence prevention and crisis response.  A research fellow will contribute to our technical assistance work with staff of community safety departments in two cities, including for data infrastructure and community-centered measures of success. The fellow may also support analysis and reporting on other research projects, including a survey of public safety leaders and budget analysis of local-level investments in public safety. Fellows with a commitment to equity and community-centered safety, experience conducting quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis, and experience working within government and communicating research findings to diverse audiences are encouraged to apply.

Reshaping Prosecution

Vera’s Reshaping Prosecution initiative works directly with prosecutors to transform campaign platforms into data-informed policies and practices that better pursue safety by exploring alternatives to traditional prosecution and centering racial equity. We also work closely with impacted communities to ensure that our work addresses the root causes of crime and centers racial equity. For our engagements, we rely on qualitative and quantitative research, assessment, and recommendations to help these key actors reshape their efforts toward community safety. The fellow will work closely with our team of researchers in carrying out mixed methods research. Their main responsibility will be to support quantitative and qualitative researchers by assisting the senior researchers and research associates with literature reviews, data entry, review of research transcripts, and other research-related tasks. We are looking for a Summer Fellow with a wide range academic backgrounds (e.g., economics, sociology, political science, demography, criminal justice, geography, computer science, mathematics) and experience in mixed methods. The fellow will be dedicated to working closely with system-impacted community members, embrace challenges to established frameworks of knowledge, and be eager to support us in advancing an action-driven research agenda.

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera interns and employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule. Full-time positions generally amount to 10 days per month. Part-time positions generally amount to 5 days per month.

Schedule:

The fellow should be available to work up to 10 hours per week during the summer. The dates will be between June 5th and August 11th, with some flexibility to accommodate personal and academic schedules.

Compensation:

The compensation range for internships is $16.00 - $25.00 per hour. Actual compensation will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. Applicants may choose to receive academic credit. For those who need to earn academic credit, Vera will gladly assist in working with the school or program to make arrangements and meet requirements.

How to apply:

Please combine the below materials (except for the letter of recommendation) into a SINGLE file (saved as either a Word or PDF file).  

  • Letter of interest addressing your interest in the fellowship, being sure to describe the area of research of your PhD and/or your dissertation topic, an overview of methodological expertise and projects that you have utilized this research expertise. (not to exceed 2 pages)
  • Resume/ CV 
  • Current Graduate Center transcript (you may submit the unofficial student copy that can be printed from banner)  
  • Letter of support from your primary advisor to be emailed to hiring@vera.org 

To apply please send a letter of interest describing your research interests and related experience with specific reference to one of the projects described below, a C.V., a current Graduate Center transcript (you may submit the unofficial student copy that can be printed from banner), and a letter of support from your primary advisor.

Application Deadline: EOD Sunday , February 16th, 2025 

Instructions for Faculty Recommenders 

  • Prepare your reference letter as a Word or PDF file. 
  • Please use the following format when naming your document: Student Last Name, First Name 
  • Email your file directly to hiring@vera.org

Questions? Please reach out! 

  • Nico Montano (they/them), Senior Research Associate for Participatory Action Research (Nmontano@vera.org)

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / CUNY Summer Research Fellow
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status. 

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission. 

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org.

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