Criminalized Survivors Advocate

The Illinois Prison Project (IPP) is a nonprofit organization in Chicago that seeks to reduce mass incarceration by providing legal services to individuals incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections. IPP’s Women & Survivors Project (WSP) engages in advocacy and provides direct legal representation to incarcerated women, trans, and gender non-conforming individuals, as well as survivors of gender-based violence in clemency, parole, medical release, resentencing, and post-conviction matters.

The Criminalized Survivors Advocate will work within IPP’s Women & Survivors Project four-person staffed program as a specialist in gender-based violence, with a focus on relationships and collaboration including with the anti-violence field, incarcerated survivors and their loved ones, and internal and external partners.   

Responsibilities include:

• Build and manage relationships within the Illinois anti-violence field with the goal of increasing and mobilizing support for incarcerated survivors of gender-based violence and coordinating support from the anti-violence field for incarcerated survivors collectively and individually 
• Build relationships with and mobilize currently and formerly incarcerated survivors and their loved ones, including IPP Ambassadors who are formerly incarcerated survivors, in order to facilitate the centering of survivors stories and voices in the context of events, media requests, and social media 
• Coordinate all aspects of reentry planning in support of the client’s legal goals, such as finding and confirming housing plans and gathering documentation of the reentry plan to support any legal filings 
• Provide support to clients during the first 90 days of their release, including ensuring transportation to the reentry site, engaging in or coordinating accompaniment to obtain identification and navigate other social services, making warm connections with women’s reentry providers, and providing other support, in collaboration with IPP social workers and community navigators 
• Coordinate and host in-person events, including managing all aspects of event programming (including preparing formerly incarcerated survivors to speak), coordination of events, and logistical planning, in coordination with IPP’s Education, Development, and Communication teams (no more than two in-person events per year maximum)
• Support the Women & Survivors Project Director in providing expertise and insight on gender-based violence to pro bono attorney volunteers as well as working to engage volunteer experts in the gender-based violence field to work with pro bono attorney volunteers
• Proactively collaborate with IPP’s Education and Communication teams in the context of events, media requests, and social media, including drafting social media content to raise awareness about criminalized survivors, highlight the work of WSP pro bono attorneys, and celebrate releases of survivors and other victories 
• Support the Women & Survivors Project Director in responding to news media requests including preparing responsive documents and preparing loved ones of clients to talk with the press, with support from IPP’s Communications team
• Other administrative duties as assigned

Desired Qualifications:

• At least one year of experience working in the gender-based violence field; closely related fields may be considered qualifying; 40-hour domestic violence certification is considered a significant plus 
• At least three years of experience working in the non-profit sector and/or engaging in social justice work in any capacity 
• Commitment to criminal legal reform in Illinois and to social, economic, disability, gender and racial justice
• Comfortable working with incarcerated clients with a diversity of backgrounds, identities, and types of convictions, including convictions related to sexual violence 
• Be self-driven, creative, and innovative
• Excellent communication and relationship skills, with past experience (personal or professional) collaborating with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals and/or their loved ones being a significant plus 
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff, interns, law clerks, and volunteers
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and produce quality results
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both in writing and orally
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Flexibility to work some evenings and weekends as required
• Ability to commute to IPP’s office in Chicago, to Springfield for clemency hearings, to prisons throughout the state in the event of client releases, and to other locations within the state as needed to provide client support 
• Professional and/or lived experience related to incarceration, gender based violence, community violence, and/or trauma-informed or anti-violence work is considered an asset for this position 

Location: Candidate must live in the Chicago area. Relocation, if necessary, can occur after the start date but must be accomplished as soon as feasible. IPP maintains a hybrid work environment, including working remotely and out of IPP’s office at 53 West Jackson Blvd in Chicago, Illinois. There is no minimum in-office work requirement but some meetings or events will require in-person appearance. 

Reports To: Women & Survivors Project Director

Illinois Prison Project is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, pregnancy, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Illinois Prison Project believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as an organization, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

Compensation: This is a full-time position with a starting salary of $60,000, and planned quarterly bonuses making the total salary equivalent to $60,608-$78,789 in accordance with IPP’s pay scale which is based on experience. Additional compensation includes:

• $500 stipend towards professional development each fiscal year
• 20 days of vacation leave each fiscal year
• 12 paid holidays off, plus a weeklong office closure in August and a weeklong office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Half day Fridays year-round (office closes at 12:30pm)
• Unlimited sick & wellness time
• Health insurance (75% employer paid for employee, 50% employer paid for dependents)
• Dental insurance (75% employer paid for employee, 50% employer paid for dependents)
• Vision insurance (75% employer paid for employee, 50% employer paid for dependents)
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance (100% employer paid)
• Life insurance (100% employer paid)
• 401(k) (both pre-tax and Roth options) plus a $1,000 annual employer contribution

How to Apply:

• Please send a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and three references to hiring@illinoisprisonproject.org with “Criminalized Survivors Advocate” in the subject line.
• Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Due to the large volume of applicants, we will not be able to reply to individual emails about an applicant’s status. No phone calls, please.