This summer, six college interns joined the Pennsylvania Prison Society. They read and responded to letters from people in prison, attended Hope Alive meetings, supported programs inside facilities, worked with data and communications, and learned from staff across the organization.
By summer’s end, they saw the Prison Society's mission to protect the health, safety and dignity of people in prison and families in a new way – more connected, more human, and more immediate.
Again and again, their reflections came back to one thing: the work is personal.
Maya described the summer in a single word: care – care in how programs are run, how people are treated, and how the Prison Society approaches its work. Nikki reflected on the power of something as seemingly small as responding to a letter or helping connect someone with a resource:
“Even small actions, like responding to a letter or connecting someone with resources, can make a big difference in someone’s life.”
For Michelle, the experience also helped connect those everyday actions back to something bigger. Through conversations with staff and learning more about the Prison Society’s history, she said she came to better understand “the ‘why’ behind the Prison Society’s mission.”
The interns also saw that this work depends on relationships – with people in prison and their families, volunteers, community organizations, public officials, and the correctional facilities. Hannah reflected:
“I did not fully understand the delicate balance [the Prison Society] must maintain to be able to live out the mission while preserving the relationships with facilities that allow us to work so closely with people who are incarcerated.”
Several interns described the internship as transformative. They came to the work with different interests and levels of familiarity with incarceration and the criminal justice system. They left with a deeper understanding of the people behind the issues – and, in some cases, a clearer sense of the work they hope to pursue themselves. Khiari put it simply:
“I am not leaving this internship as the same Khiari who walked in on the first day.”
All of our interns learned so much this summer, but each of them identified one thing they will take with them after interning here:
“I will carry forward the lessons I learned about the value of showing up for others and using my skills to make a difference. This experience has strengthened my confidence and inspired me to continue pursuing work that creates a positive impact.” Nikki, from Duke University
“I appreciate the experience I’ve gotten…especially with such an amazing group of mentors. I feel like I’ll be able to apply the time management skills that I’ve learned in this internship to future full-time jobs.” Michelle, Swarthmore College
“During this experience, I was able to build my network of organizations [that] work within the criminal justice reform field. Moving forward, I am excited to explore these organizations and combine them with my experiences at [the Prison Society] to build a broader perspective. Hannah, Ursinus College
“This internship gave me a real look into what life is like behind bars, not just through research, but through lived experiences and conversations. It has strengthened my understanding of the criminal justice system and given me knowledge that I will carry with me into graduate school and my future career.” Khiari, Temple University
“Having a supportive team to work together on assignments, bounce ideas off of and provide feedback has helped my content creation processes a lot.” Maya, Bryn Mawr College
For those of you who do this work every day, their reflections are a reminder that the closer you get to the realities of incarceration, the harder they are to ignore.
And that is something you make possible.
Your support allows us to keep showing up, listening, connecting people, documenting what is happening inside, and bringing what we learn to the people who can help create change. It also gives the next generation of advocates an opportunity to see this work up close – and carry what they learn with them long after the summer ends.
To our interns: thank you for the energy, curiosity, and care you brought to the Prison Society this summer.
