ACLU Research Intern – Police Use of Force Policy

FALL 2022

Application Deadline: 30 June 2022

ABOUT THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ommunity, advancing racial justice, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties and civil rights cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach. With more than one million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., for the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, and record of arrest or conviction.

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW

This is an internship for academic credit. It will be administered at The Graduate Center through the PublicsLab. In order to be eligible, students must be able to enroll in IDS 81620: Scholarly Praxis at Work in the World in the Fall 2022 semester (every other Thursday, 2-4pm). For questions about the course, please contact PublicsLab director Stacy Hartman at shartman2@gc.cuny.edu.

The ACLU seeks a Research Intern for Fall 2022, beginning September 12 and continuing for 12 weeks. This intern is a part of ACLU’s Research Team and reports to the Director of Research. The Research Team is housed in the Communications Department of the ACLU’s National Office in New York City, and liaises with the Executive Department. It is not yet determined whether the role will be remote or in-person in the ACLU’s Manhattan office. In addition to the Director of Research, the Research Team includes a post-doctoral Research Fellow (ACLS/Mellon Fell0w) and a Graduate Research Intern. The Research Team leads ACLU’s research program through collaboration with legal, advocacy, and communications staff across the organization. The PublicLabs Research Intern would focus specifically on completing case studies of cities, as part of an ongoing research project assessing the use of force laws and policies, serving both as the project manager and the lead researcher on the case study component.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Manage and execute the case study component of a research study assessing the impact of use-of-force laws or policies on police use of force.
  • Specifically includes conducting interviews with ACLU Affiliate staff and other key stakeholders, identification and review of relevant documents (e.g. regulations, media articles), policy analysis, and write up findings.
  • Collaborate with key ACLU staff to use case studies to interpret quantitative findings from a previous analysis.
  • Participate in presentation of findings to internal stakeholders, and potentially select external stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with Director of Research, Research Interns, and Consultants (if relevant) on this project
  • Help manage database of research literature, including conducting literature searches.
  • Participate in regular meetings with the Research team, Communications Department, and occasional cross-departmental meetings.
  • Other duties to support the work of ACLU’s research team.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

  • Current doctoral student in the humanistic social sciences
  • Experience with qualitative research methods, such as including case study methodologies, interviews, and content analysis
  • Familiarity with policy analysis
  • Skilled in using online resources to identify relevant documents and sources
  • Basic knowledge of policing reform issues, including police use of force
  • Interest in working at a non-profit, civil rights organization
  • Commitment to the mission of the ACLU
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including excel (or google sheets), comfort in using or learning Zoom and other technologies (e.g. Endnote, Asana)
  • Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts
  • Commitment to working in an office that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance, record of arrest or conviction

The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction.  

Applications should send their resume and cover letter to PublicsLab Director Stacy Hartman at shartman2@gc.cuny.edu by Thursday, 30 June 2022.