The Challenge & Opportunity
On any given day, 62,000 Pennsylvanians are incarcerated in state prisons and
county jails. Incarceration in Pennsylvania increased 400 percent since 1980 while
the crime rate has gone down. Twenty-five percent of incarcerated people in
Pennsylvania have not been convicted of a crime—they are deprived of their liberty
and housed in prisons while they await trial. Lack of access to health care,
degradation and isolation are some of the issues people in prison face. Many people
leave jail worse off than when they entered. For 240 years, the Pennsylvania Prison
Society has led the nation in calling for a just and humane criminal justice system.
As Pennsylvania’s independent prison monitor, we work to stop abuse and trauma.
Every month, more than 300 incarcerated people and their families ask the Society
for help with issues they face inside prison. Written into Pennsylvania law, Society
staff and volunteers respond to these complaints by going into correctional facilities,
meeting with incarcerated people, and providing real-time information on prison
conditions. We are the only organization in the state that provides public witness to
what happens behind prison walls.
We are hiring two Regional Organizers—one for Western Pennsylvania, and one for
Eastern Pennsylvania—to support and grow this work. You will serve as the Prison
Society’s primary liaison in the region, interfacing with volunteer chapters, prison
administrations, local authorities, and allied organizations. This will require regular
travel and excellent interpersonal skills. Working with the Prison Monitoring Director,
you will assess the Prison Society’s regional capacity and develop and implement a
strategic approach to improve the quality of our work and our impact.
Click the attachment above to review the full job posting.
Ready to apply? Click here.