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Call for Applications: Justice Lab Affiliates and Fellows

Justice LabThe Prison Engagement Initiative at the Kenan Institute for Ethics invites undergraduate students to apply to become 2026–2027 Justice Lab affiliates and fellows.

Please note that the deadline to apply is April 23, 11:59 p.m.

PROGRAM

How can students at a university like Duke provide services to incarcerated or recently incarcerated people? The goal of the Justice Lab is to centralize, systematize, and improve Duke’s volunteer offerings for undergraduate students. This project was developed in tandem with the student group Duke Justice Project.

It focuses on the following areas:

  • Tutoring of incarcerated students (for GED/HiSET exams) at Butner Federal Corrections Complex
  • Support for the re-entry population in Durham, including leading resume workshops and academic enrichment for the children of adults attending evening programs (e.g., through StepUp Durham)
  • Participation in re-entry and support circles through the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham
  • Expanding tutoring initiatives through partnerships like the Petey Greene program


COMMITMENT

There are two ways for students to get involved.

Justice Lab Affiliates

Affiliates are the core of our work. They commit to volunteering consistently with one or more of our partner programs in a way that fits their interests and schedules. This work is relationship-driven and requires reliability, especially for programs like tutoring or re-entry circles. This is an unpaid volunteer position.

Justice Lab Fellows

Fellows take on a leadership and coordination role. This includes organizing schedules, managing communication with partner organizations, ensuring trainings are completed, troubleshooting logistics, and helping shape the direction of the program. Fellows also collaborate on a year-end report reflecting on how Duke can more effectively engage with incarcerated and re-entry populations.

Justice Lab Fellows will be paid at a rate of $18.50/hr and will average 3 hours of work per week. We expect fellows to begin working in August 2026.

ELIGIBILITY

All Duke undergraduate students who are enrolled in classes at Duke during the 26–27 academic year are eligible to apply. If you are a graduate student who is interested, please write to Nicole Schramm-Sapyta.

APPLY

If you would like to be involved in this program, please fill out applications at the link below. If you are applying to become a fellow, you do NOT need to apply to become an affiliate as well.

Justice Lab Affiliate application

Justice Lab Fellow application

Please note that the deadline to apply is April 23, 11:59 p.m.

CONTACT

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Nicole Schramm-Sapyta at nicole.schrammsapyta@duke.edu.