Research Intern, Reshaping Prosecution

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice, founded in 1961, is a nonprofit criminal justice organization that strives to build just government institutions and safe communities free from the scourge of racism, white supremacy, profit, and inequity that is pervasive in this country’s legal systems. We are an “inside” lane organization that drives change at scale with ambitious public sector leaders who share our commitment to building anti-racist, reparative systems that deliver justice. We leverage our access to government to transform these systems and work collaboratively with stakeholders across many movements—including advocacy, grassroots, and grasstop organizations. Our role is to pilot solutions that are transformative and achievable, harness the power of evidence to drive effective policy and practice, and use advocacy and communications to change narratives and norms.

Vera has a staff of 300 people and offices in New York City, Washington, DC, 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.

Who you are:

The Reshaping Prosecution Program is dedicated to transforming what it means to be a prosecutor by focusing on the dignity of all people impacted by the criminal justice system. Prosecutors play a critical, but often hidden, role in mass incarceration as one of the most powerful actors in the criminal justice system. They decide who to charge with a crime, what crime to charge, whether to detain someone in jail pending trial, and what sentence to recommend if there is a conviction. Yet, despite this immense power, prosecutors have largely not been the focus of criminal justice reform efforts until recently. Our team helps prosecutors across the country work to end mass incarceration, pursue racial equity, and be more transparent with the communities they serve. 

Students will be responsible for conducting a literature review on prosecution policy interventions as directed by Vera researchers. Although a systematic review may be beyond the scope of this project, students should adhere as closely as possible to the PRISMA guidelines when preparing the review and include a description of the methods and checklist items as described by PRISMA. The results of this literature review will include a narrative element that describes the state of the current research, as well as a summary table including relevant information on effect sizes, study types, evidence quality, participation rates, and other key metrics that will be defined at the start of the project.  

As a reach goal, after completing the review and time allowing, students will use the results to assist community-based organizations in their applications for funding. This may include summarizing the evidence relevant to a given program as needed, as well as the potential for high-level analysis, using estimated effectiveness from the literature to fill in missing program data as needed.

Time permitting, students may consider drafting a template of evaluation for future projects, particularly in situations where a quasi-experiment will be needed. Note that while we are happy to support students who are interested in this for their own personal development, it is by no means an expectation that students will complete this in addition to the two goals outlined above. 

What you'll do:

• Design and conduct literature review
• Summarize literature review
• As possible, assist with distilling review findings into bullet points for CBO grant applications

What qualifications are we looking for?

• Understanding of academic literature review. 
• Familiarity with PRIMSA or other systematic review guidelines. 
• Knowledge of quasi experimental and experimental design, preferably in public health, public policy, or a related field. 
• Familiarity with quantitative research methods. 
• Familiarity with the criminal justice system, preferred previous experience reviewing or conducting research in this area.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring: 

• Understanding of academic literature review, familiarity with PRIMSA or other systematic review guidelines, knowledge of quasi experimental and experimental design.  

Technical knowledge we need you to be prepared to use:

• Academic database access 

Location:

Please note this role will