Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellow Candidate

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth; United States; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) seeks an Equal Justice Works Fellow Candidate to join our Legal & Policy Team on Missouri implementation projects. The role is a two-year, full-time opportunity funded through EJW, with supervision tailored to the candidate’s interests and CFSY priorities.

The Fellow will contribute to strategic implementation work, coordinating reforms, providing legal resources, and connecting impacted youth and families with pro bono representation.

Qualifications

• J.D. degree (or expected before start) and strong background in criminal law via employment, internships, law school clinics, practicums, or lived experience.
• Excellent legal research and writing abilities are required.
• Strong organizational and computer literacy (Outlook, Google Apps, video conferencing) are essential.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of youth sentencing reforms in Missouri.
• Provide technical assistance and legal resources to attorneys and stakeholders.
• Create resources for youth serving lengthy sentences and their families to navigate review and parole processes.
• Match eligible individuals with pro bono legal representation.
• Document implementation challenges, successes, and emerging best practices.
• Strengthen networks of directly impacted individuals and families to support advocacy and peer engagement.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Criminal law knowledge

Organizational skills

Tech literacy

Advocacy for impacted communities

Education

J.D. degree

Job description

Job title: Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellow Candidate

Location: Remote or hybrid, Washington, DC

Classification: Full-time, non-exempt

Organization: Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)

Due : Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All applications submitted by the priority deadline of August 21 , 2026, will receive full consideration.

Start Date: September 2027 (for a two-year term)

Overview of the position:

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is seeking a candidate to jointly apply for an Equal Justice Works Fellowship! Founded in 2009, CFSY advocates to ban extreme sentences for children in the United States, ensure meaningful review opportunities for children in the criminal legal system, and create opportunities for those directly impacted by extreme sentencing to thrive and lead. The Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellow will work on our Legal & Policy Team, focusing on implementation of current policy in Missouri. We will work with the selected fellowship candidate to further develop a proposal that builds on the candidate’s interests and skills, ensures appropriate supervision, and fits with the CFSY’s priorities.

Potential Project:

Strategic Implementation

Missouri has experienced a patchwork of legislation and court decisions affecting children prosecuted in the adult criminal legal system. While important reforms have expanded retroactive parole eligibility for some youth, other legal developments have limited or complicated access to relief. This fellowship would help ensure that these reforms are implemented consistently and effectively while strengthening support for youth serving lengthy sentences and their families. Major areas of work would include:

• Coordinating implementation of recent youth sentencing reforms across the state
• Providing technical assistance and legal resources to attorneys and other stakeholders
• Creating resources for youth serving lengthy sentences and their loved ones to navigate review and parole processes
• Matching eligible individuals with pro bono legal representation
• Documenting implementation challenges, successes, and emerging best practices
• Strengthening networks of directly impacted individuals and families to support advocacy and peer engagement
• Building partnerships with community organizations to expand reentry and supportive services

In particular, we envision this fellowship providing targeted implementation support in Missouri, helping ensure that recent legal developments translate into meaningful opportunities for youth, documenting lessons learned, and developing resources that can inform implementation efforts in other states.

Strong candidates for the Equal Justice Works Fellow role will bring:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or expect one before the start of the fellowship);
• Experience with criminal law and criminal legal systems (which may be obtained through employment, internships, law school clinics or practicums, and/or lived experience);
• Excellent legal research and writing abilities;
• Organizational and computer literacy (Outlook, Google Apps, video conferencing);
• Experience with and/or passion for working with those most impacted by mass incarceration; and
• Alignment with CFSY’s values of centering the directly impacted in our work.

Values and Traits

• Strong interest in criminal legal reform, particularly ending harsh youth sentencing practices, racial discrimination, and human rights abuses in the United States;
• Belief that our society has failed the children impacted by life without parole and other extreme sentences, and that we all have a responsibility to create avenues for their restoration and that of our entire community;
• Belief in the inherent good, dignity, and humanity of all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, class, education level, zip code and more;
• Belief that every one of us is more than the worst things we’ve done or experienced;
• A willingness to learn;
• Flexible and willing and able to adapt to the evolving nature of CFSY’s work;
• Constructive and optimistic; confronts problems with the expectation that a solution exists; and
• Prioritizes self-care.

Location and Travel

The CFSY’s headquarters are in Washington, DC, with many staff working remotely throughout the country. Candidates with connections to Missouri and/or residing in Missouri and surrounding states are strongly encouraged, but all qualified candidates will be seriously considered. The Equal Justice Works Fellow can work remotely, and is expected to travel up to 3-4 times per year. Staff are expected to participate in in-person, all-staff gatherings approximately 1-2 times per year, which are frequently hosted in Washington, DC, but may require travel to other locations. In accordance with CFSY internal policies, all required home-office technology, equipment and supplies, and all business related travel is paid for by the CFSY.

Physical Environment and Equipment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone;
• Specific vision abilities include close vision requirements due to computer work;
• Ability to effectively use a telephone, including mobile phone; computer (with Microsoft and Google applications); keyboard; and video conferencing;
• Ability to travel to a variety of locations in the continental United States via plane, train, and/or car.

Compensation, Benefits, and Culture:

The salary for this opportunity is not funded by the CFSY. The CFSY will cooperate with successful applicants to seek fellowship support via an Equal Justice Works Design-Your-Own Fellowship program, and the salary will be based on the terms of the fellowship awarded. The CFSY offers a generous benefits package, including:

• four weeks of annual paid vacation and accrued sick time
• 100% employer-paid premiums for an individual health insurance plan, life and disability insurance
• an Employee Assistance Program
• the option for an 8-week sabbatical after five consecutive years of employment
• and a 403(b) retirement plan.

This position is full-time and non-exempt.

The CFSY believes in and actively practices meaningful connection to individuals directly impacted by extreme prison sentences. We work in deep partnership with people currently in prison, those who have been released, and their family and social networks. All staff at the CFSY, regardless of role and position, engage in this connection and are regularly proximate to those directly impacted by the work we do.

The CFSY is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. People of color, individuals with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those with personal experience in the criminal legal system are strongly encouraged to apply.