The Bronx Defenders 2024 Non-Legal Summer Internship Program

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Recruiting Organization: The Bronx Defenders

The Bronx Defenders (BxD) - an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx - seeks passionate interns committed to public service and social justice to join our Non-Legal Summer Internship Program. This year, we will be offering internships in our Community Organizing, Investigations, Family Defense, Civil Action, Benefits, Policy and Data Analysis Teams.

The Bronx Defenders is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative, energetic individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 450 includes interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, benefits specialists, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of legal system involvement. Through this integrated team-based structure, we have developed a groundbreaking, nationally-recognized model of representation called holistic defense that achieves better outcomes for the people we represent.

Each year, we defend more than 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases, and reach thousands more through our community intake, youth mentoring, and outreach programs. Through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we push for systemic change at the local, state, and national levels. We take what we learn from the people we represent and communities that we work with and launch innovative initiatives designed to bring about real and lasting change.

The MOIIA Summer Internship Program

Over a period of 10 weeks, The Bronx Defenders Summer Internship Program provides interns with the opportunity to immerse themselves in one of our practice areas and play an integral role in holistic defense. Summer interns participate in a comprehensive holistic orientation, gain invaluable experience with community members, and develop critical professional skills.

This year, candidates can apply for internships with any one of the following practices:

• Community Organizing
• Investigations
• Family Defense Practice
• Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
• Civil Action Practice
• Benefits
• Policy
• Data Analysis

Community Organizing and Engagement

Our Community Organizing and Engagement Team focuses on fighting for system change, informed by the expressed needs of the Bronx community. Interns will support the Organizing and Engagement Project and engage Bronx residents in community organizing and engagement efforts around immigration, criminal justice reform, family reunification, education, housing, police accountability and more. Through this work, interns will have the opportunity to learn about our Criminal Defense, Family Defense, Immigration and Civil Action Practices. Responsibilities include:

• Extensive community outreach, including phone banking, flyering, door knocking, street outreach, tabling and digital outreach. This work will entail significant amounts of time spent outside engaging with community members--rain or shine. A willingness to speak to strangers and excitement to galvanize people is a must
• Assisting with organizing Know Your Rights trainings and community meetings for Bronx organizations and community members
• Engaging with stakeholders such as educators, elected officials, and organizational leaders in the social justice field to build collaborative partnerships that will strengthen issue-based work

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Knowledge and understanding of the systemic issues that face racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities, and more specifically, the South Bronx
• Familiarity with the Bronx community and/or experience collaborating with individuals from low-income communities of color
• Ability to work outside the office in the Bronx community
• Ability to be creative and approach community organizing and outreach with enthusiasm

Investigations

Investigators are a vital part of our interdisciplinary legal teams representing Bronx residents charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses. The majority of Investigators’ work does not take place in the office but is carried out in the field: at private homes, on the street, in local businesses, and in the Bronx community. Ideal applicants for the Investigations Internship will be comfortable working in the Bronx community and possess the ability to engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and gather evidence from and interview reluctant witnesses. The ability to speak Spanish is incredibly helpful in that regard. The schedule of Investigators often varies according to the availability of the witnesses, so the ability to have flexible work hours is preferred. Responsibilities include:

• Locating, interviewing and taking detailed statements from prosecution witnesses who are accusing the people we represent of committing a crime
• Gathering and reviewing time-sensitive video surveillance
• Writing memoranda regarding investigative efforts and results

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Comfort navigating the Bronx community and conducting in-home interviews
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to connect with reluctant witnesses
• Active listening skills and ability to memorialize important conversations
• Ability to think critically and creatively in unpredictable environments, approaching problems and setbacks with creativity and ingenuity
• Ability to be resourceful and persistent in gathering evidence

Parent Advocate Internship

Parent Advocates play an integral role in advocating for parents whose parental rights are in peril and whose children are at risk of being removed and sent to foster care. Interns will work in court to support parents as they navigate their cases and connect them with services that may be of interest. Responsibilities include:

• Working in court during intake shifts and supporting parents during their initial appearances in Bronx Family Court
• Collaborating with attorneys to meet with the people we defend, assess their needs, and connect them with necessary services, such as substance use, anger management, parenting and mental health services
• Completing referral forms connecting the people we represent with social workers and parent advocates for ongoing advocacy and support
• Documenting all client work in our case management system

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Interest in and commitment to supporting low-income parents charged with abuse and neglect in the Bronx

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies

Last year, almost 1,000 children were placed in the foster care system in the Bronx. Akin to the school-to-prison pipeline, we represent expectant parents facing the threat of involvement of the family regulation system in their lives and navigating a womb-to-foster-care pipeline which disregards the critical bond between newborns and parents. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (HMHB) provides vital support and advocacy for expectant parents, fighting for their children to remain in their care. Responsibilities include:

• Shadowing HMHB Advocates as they work with parents to plan for their newborn’s birth and how to best provide support and advocacy during the postpartum period
• Shadowing HMHB Advocates in procedural family regulation system meetings and court appearances
• Helping facilitate the weekly HMHB Parent Support Circle
• Connecting parents to relevant, evidenced-based services and resources in line with their wants, needs and the legal strategy of their case
• Assisting HMHB with the receiving, sorting, and distribution of material needs to the people we work with

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Interest in and commitment to defending low-income expectant parents at risk of family regulation system involvement and family separation

Civil Legal Advocate

Civil Legal Advocates are a vital part of our interdisciplinary teams, operating in a variety of venues and providing a myriad of services to the people we represent. Civil Legal Advocate interns will support advocates in holding the New York City Police Department accountable for misconduct, as well as defending the property rights and access to housing and public benefits of the people we represent. Responsibilities include:

• Developing materials for our Know Your Rights Trainings
• Participating in our Notice of Claim Clinic to challenge police misconduct
• Assisting the people we represent with applications for Certificates of Relief from Disabilities
• Gathering documentation to prepare for hearings
• Providing support to our community intake program
• Working with our Legal Advocates to recover clients’ property confiscated in criminal proceedings

Benefits Advocate

Working with community members and our interdisciplinary holistic defense teams, Benefits Advocates assist people in the process of obtaining, recertifying and advocating for public benefits. This internship will provide interns with extensive community engagement and exposure to fair trial hearings with the Human Resources Administration. Responsibilities include:

• Screening, completing applications for, and referring clients and community members for eligibility and interest in public benefits including but not limited to: Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and food pantries; Cash Assistance; Emergency rental assistance and other housing benefits; Employment assistance; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Federal Assistance Program; Medicare and Medicaid; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Childcare benefits; Utility benefits; Transit assistance
• Engaging in advocacy to secure benefits for the people we represent by corresponding with agencies, aiming for conciliation, attending fair hearings and assisting with reapplication
• Collaborating with and supporting attorneys and advocates in the civil, criminal, family and immigration practices by responding to benefits-based referrals and conducting benefits screenings
• Updating our case management system with accurate client data and notes regarding formal and informal advocacy
• Assisting in developing public benefits and outreach materials

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Interest in helping people from low-income, marginalized communities obtain public benefits
• Ability to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and assist them in navigating the unique obstacles they’re facing in the criminal, family, immigration and civil legal systems while seeking to obtain public benefits

Policy

The Policy Team works in conjunction with our direct representation practices to develop legislative and policy changes that push for transformational change to the criminal legal system, immigration policy, the family regulation system, and housing law. Responsibilities include:

• Conducting research on complex policy issues, government agencies, community organizations and elected officials
• Drafting letters, talking points, memoranda, reports and white papers
• Assisting with the development and training of community members who want to serve as leaders and lend their stories to public policy conversations
• Updating staff contact lists for state, city and federal legislators

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Familiarity with the Bronx community and/or issues affecting low-income communities of color
• Ability to analyze complex issues and translate ideas into effective strategies
• Effective research and writing skills

Data Analytics

In collaboration with our Information Technology Department, the Data Team works to provide the organization with data analysis to better understand the impact of the carceral system on the communities we work with, improve the practice of holistic defense and advocate for systemic change. Interns can expect to learn how data can be used to advance social justice work while learning and improving skills for researching, cleaning, joining, analyzing, summarizing and visually presenting data. Responsibilities include:

• Collecting, cleaning, and joining datasets from diverse sources
• Researching, exploring, and producing documentation about public data sets
• Compiling information from unstructured data sources into machine readable forms
• Summarizing datasets to provide meaningful insights
• Producing data visualizations and maps
• Interpreting the results of data analyses for non-technical audiences
• Assisting with reconciling information between distinct data sources and support data quality assurance efforts
• Helping build upon the in-house use of analytical tools, including dashboards, for internal partners

To apply to this internship, candidates should demonstrate:

• Interest in data analysis and using data tools for social justice advocacy
• Strong interest in developing proficiency with new tools, technologies and techniques
• Familiarity with Microsoft Excel or similar tools, including some experience with formulas and pivot tables
• Comfort with basic descriptive statistics, such as mean, median, count, and percent
• Experience with SQL, Python, and Business Intelligence tools such as Tableau, ThoughtSpot or Power BI is a plus but not required

Qualifications

To be eligible, all candidates must have:

• At least one year of college or vocational education OR one year of cumulative work or volunteer/internship experience in a professional setting
• Legal students are not eligible to apply for this internship

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Interest in and commitment to social justice and racial equity work
• Interest in working with racially and socio-economically marginalized communities targeted by the carceral system
• Interest in supporting individuals navigating the criminal, family, immigration and civil legal court systems
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively within a team
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to receive critical constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection, and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
• Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive practices on an interpersonal and institutional level
• Proficiency in Spanish, French or Wolof is a plus, but not required

All our internships, except for the Data Analysis internship, will be taking place in-person from Tuesday, May 28th through Friday, August 2nd. If you would like to learn more about the work of our specific practice areas, you can refer to the following FAQ Document.

This is an unpaid internship, but if you wish to apply for funding through third-party fellowships, grants or universities, we are more than happy to support you in that effort.

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training ProvidedFalse

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair AccessibleFalse

Fee RequiredFalse

Fee Amount: None

This opportunity is recurringFalse