Spring 2027 Undergraduate Intern, National Prison Project

The ACLU seeks a Spring Undergraduate Intern in the National Prison Project of the ACLU’s National office in Washington D.C. This position may be remote or hybrid.

The National Prison Project works to ensure that conditions in prisons, jails, juvenile detention centers, and immigration detention facilities comply with the Constitution, domestic law, and international human rights principles. The Project has successfully litigated on behalf of incarcerated people in more than 25 states. It is the only organization litigating conditions of confinement cases nationwide. Our priorities include reducing overcrowding, improving health care, challenging the use of solitary confinement, and increasing oversight and accountability in prisons, jails, and other places of detention. We also work to reverse the policies that have given the United States the highest incarceration rate in the world and led to extreme over-representation of people of color in the incarcerated population.

The undergraduate intern will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by working with the National Prison Project team. They will learn about creating change through prison reform litigation and advocacy work.

• Assisting with the production and distribution of advocacy materials
• Conducting factual research and writing regarding the rights of incarcerated people and legislative movement
• Gathering current information related to prison and jail conditions
• Documenting and tracking complaints received from incarcerated people and responding with informational materials
• Providing campaign and litigation support to supervising attorneys

The undergraduate internship is open to students who have completed at least one year of their undergraduate program before the internship commences. Undergraduate interns should possess the following:

• A strong interest in the rights of incarcerated people and a commitment to civil rights
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills
• Strong computer skills, particularly web-based research including proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Word, Excel)

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts

• Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship can be remote or hybrid and based in our Washington D.C. office.
• Time Commitment: Spring internships can be part-time (10,15 or 20 hours/week) or full-time (35 hours/week)
• Internship Duration: Spring internships span 12 consecutive weeks with a start date of January 11 or January 25.
• This internship is course credit only. This internship must be tied to the intern’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.

Priority Application Deadline: November 6, 2026.
While there is a priority deadline, our project is committed to reviewing all applications on a rolling basis until the closing of posting.

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked 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+ community, 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 cases and issues to defend all people.