Job description
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 216 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:
The Data Science Intern for Research’s Central Data Science team is an opportunity for a college student or recent grad to immerse themselves in a data role at a non-profit organization. Their work will support a pilot project that supports a national initiative by using machine learning models to build more robust datasets for research.
The data science intern will work closely with the Senior Data Scientist on setting up the data and infrastructure required to enable the use of ML and AI on messy administrative data. They will gain practical experience in working with realistic datasets to enable impactful analysis on the criminal legal system. They will participate in all day-to-day team activities, ranging from project planning and execution, infrastructure discussions, code review sessions, and more. They will work directly with a senior data scientist on a range of responsibilities including data collection, document review, data prep, and analysis.
This is a commitment over the Fall 2025 semester with some flexibility as to start and end date.
About the role:
Document Review & Data Prep
- Review files provided by Vera’s external partner to identify relevant documents for data extraction
- Review police reports and other text data to label and create dataset structures
- Review semi-structured text data fields to condense into coded categorical variables
Automated data collection and codebase maintenance
- Contribute code to existing automated data collection system as needed for the pilot’s evolving requirements
Data Analysis
- Develop descriptive and other summary statistics in support of model development, validation, and evaluation
Other support tasks as needed
- Support senior data scientist in other analytical tasks as needed
What qualifications are we looking for?
- Currently enrolled in a college program in data science, a computational social science, statistics, public policy, or a related discipline
- Commitment to using research and analysis to end mass incarceration and undo racism and inequity in the criminal legal system · Proficiency developing code collaboratively using GitHub
Preferred:
Experience working with messy administrative datasets in an academic or professional setting
Technical knowledge we need you to be prepared to use:
The current tech stack uses the following technologies and working familiarity in the following is preferred:
- Python and/or R
- GitHub
- Cloud Technologies such as Microsoft Azure
- SQL & relational databases
- Command Lin
Location:
Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, LA, or Los Angeles, CA 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 intern should be available to work up to 15 hours per week during the summer. The dates will be between September 8, 2025, and December 19, 2025, with some flexibility to accommodate personal and academic schedules.
Compensation:
This is an unpaid opportunity.
How to apply:
Please submit cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please explain why you are passionate about criminal justice reform and what you hope to gain from this internship.
Applications may also be faxed to:
ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / Fall 2025, Data Science Intern, Research Central
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.
