Training at the intersection of social work and criminal justice.

The IJRD Post-Master’s Fellowship is the first of its kind at the intersection of social work and criminal justice. We are actively recruiting recent graduates of accredited master’s in social work programs to join our team. The full-time paid Fellowship is designed to prepare MSW graduates for clinical and research work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

About us:

IJRD is a pioneering research center— the first-of-its-kind in a College of Social Work—and we are focused on preparing the profession of social work to practice and research with justice-involved adults and their families. We conduct ground-breaking research to develop individual, family, and community well-being, promote racial and economic equality, and change conventional criminal justice outcomes at all stages of criminal justice system involvement. IJRD engages in research, training, and development and integrates adaptive technology practices to expand our reach. On the front end of the criminal justice system, we work to expand deferred prosecution and other innovative prosecutorial diversion programs; infuse social work into public defense offices; reduce the collateral consequences of incarceration through policy reform; and, at reentry, implement longitudinal clinical trials on innovative interventions across the country. Come join our team and help individuals who are involved with the criminal justice system to expand their well-being and reach their full human potential.

Why join our team?

Training with IJRD begins with the idea that learning is developmental and that Fellows have different needs that change with time and experience. Fellows will be supported in both their personal and professional growth. Fellows will be encouraged to continually seek awareness of self and use this information to define strengths and areas for development. Fellows’ examination of personal values will help them to discover the impact of their beliefs on professional functioning. Increased personal awareness should also assist advanced Fellows in understanding their role in interpersonal dynamics and their role in personal and professional interactions. Fellows also are expected to commit to the development of cultural competence through self-examination and working closely with others. This Post-Master’s Fellowship provides experiential learning opportunities for MSW graduates to deepen their understanding and further apply the competencies of social work. Each year of the fellowship will offer a different specialized training focus, in order to provide Fellows with the flexibility to work in a variety of settings.

What types of wORK will Post-Master's Fellows engage in?

The Fellowship includes both a Clinical Practice and a Research track. 

• CLINICAL PRACTICE: The primary focus of this track is the development of generalist clinical skills, to prepare Fellows for intervention work with criminal justice-involved populations. In the context of clinical research trials, Fellows will spend the majority of their time applying their skills to provide individual and group intervention sessions, crisis intervention and service delivery (some daytime, evenings, and weekends), individual assessments, and outreach to criminal justice-involved individuals (primarily currently and formerly incarcerated individuals).
• RESEARCH: The primary focus of this track is to develop social work administration, leadership, and research skills. In the context of clinical research trials, Fellows will have opportunities to provide team leadership, identify policy barriers to success and strive toward policy innovations, collaborate with corrections professionals, enroll criminal justice-involved individuals into research studies, conduct face-to-face personal interviews with participants to administer behavioral health measures and clinical assessments and engage study participants in long term research involvement.

All Fellows will conduct face-to-face meetings with justice-involved individuals during their incarceration in the prison or jail setting as well as in a variety of community-settings (team office space, public libraries, and in participants' homes) after their release from incarceration.

Who can apply for a post-master's fellowship 

We seek recent graduates of accredited graduate programs in Social Work to join us as Post-Master's Fellows. **We encourage applicants with diverse life experiences, including criminal justice involvement.**

Why should you consider becoming a Post-Master's Fellow with IJRD?

This full-time paid fellowship is the only fellowship in the nation that provides Master's level social workers with in-depth, hands-on training opportunities with criminal justice-involved individuals and families. As a Post-Master's Fellow, you will develop specialized and highly sought-after skills that will provide an excellent foundation for the next steps of your career. We will provide ongoing in-service training, workshops, and resources throughout your tenure to help you develop professionally as both a clinician and a researcher. We will also provide resources for clinical supervision and mentorship. Whether you choose the Clinical Practice or Research tracks, the Post-Master's Fellowship will prepare you as a leader in the field and position you at the forefront of criminal justice reforms, helping to increase the well-being of millions of individuals who are involved with the criminal justice system every year.

How can you apply?

We are currently not accepting applications.