Description

The Bronx Defenders (BxD)-- an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx—seeks passionate social work students with a commitment to public defense to join our office as Social Work Interns.  

Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement. 

Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences. 

Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change. 

We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation. 

The Social Work Practice 

Effectively fighting for people facing legal charges requires knowing and understanding their goals and needs beyond those related to a single case or legal matter. Our Social Work Practice provides an understanding of people’s lives and the challenges that are connected to their involvement in the various legal systems. The expertise of our Masters-level social workers and non-legal advocates helps people secure positive case outcomes and address the issues that drove them into the legal system in the first place. 

 The Social Work Internship Program 

The Social Work Internship Program at The Bronx Defenders provides a unique opportunity for Social Work interns to receive extensive training in various legal disciplines and play an integral role in holistic defense. Social Work interns receive a comprehensive orientation with an introduction to our interdisciplinary practice areas and special projects; technical skill training and simulations; and the opportunity to advocate in legal settings and gain invaluable client interactions. Social Work interns are supervised by MSW or LMSW SIFI certified Social Workers.  

 Our Social Work Internship Program begins in September 2026 and lasts the duration of the academic year through May 2027.  

 Social Work Interns may choose to work in any one of the following practices:  

•  Criminal Defense Practice 
• Adolescent Defense Practice
• LGBTQ Defense Project 
• Prisoners’ Rights Project
• Family Defense Practice 
• Immigration Practice 
• Civil Action Practice  

Family Defense Practice 

As residents of the most heavily disinvested borough in the city, families in the Bronx experience the highest rates of family policing and parent-child separation. We serve as the primary institutional provider defending parents and caretakers against the painful and unnecessary removals of their children in the Bronx. Together, our attorneys, social workers, and parent advocates provide the legal defense and support necessary to keep families together and interrupt generational cycles of family court involvement. Social workers in this practice must be committed to directly defending caretakers against accusations of abuse and neglect. 

Immigration Practice 

Nearly a third of the residents of the Bronx were born outside the United States, and many face the unprecedented threat of detention and deportation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our attorneys help people facing criminal, family, and civil proceedings make informed and strategic decisions to protect their rights. We are also one of the three public defender organizations leading the nation’s first-ever universal representation program for detained immigrants facing deportation. Social workers in this practice must be committed to directly defending non-citizens accused of crimes and at risk of removal and deportation. Applicants must also be fluent in Spanish as most client work will be conducted in the Spanish language.  

Civil Action Practice 

A sweeping array of civil punishments are triggered the moment someone faces arrest, deportation, or family separation. The people we represent risk losing their jobs, homes, income, property, and basic civil rights – struggles that can be more devastating and long-lasting than the charges themselves. Last year, we helped 2,200 people obtain concrete benefits like maintaining their jobs, homes, income, property, and rights.  

In this practice, our social workers are committed to a Housing First perspective, an approach to homelessness that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life. In addition to the general responsibilities, interns in our Civil Action Practice will also: 

• Amplify the experiences of clients in local and national media as well as to city, state, and federal policymakers through research and client interviews
• Collaborate with policy counsel and advocate to draft articles, letters, editorials, white papers, and reports for public circulation
• Collaborate with policy coalitions and community-based partners on civil social work initiatives
• Analyze data and policy
• Develop feedback loops through surveys and other forums
• Develop presentations and facilitate information sessions to external stakeholders 

The Criminal Defense Practice 

The Bronx is one of the most aggressively policed boroughs in New York City. As a result, we represent thousands of people each year, nearly 40% of whom are charged with low-level offenses such as shoplifting, traffic offenses, and drug possession. As part of our holistic approach, we spend time getting to know the people we represent and gaining a deeper understanding of their lives and needs. With that understanding, we advocate for people by thoroughly investigating their cases, raising novel legal arguments, using creative tools of persuasion and storytelling, and addressing needs that go beyond the scope of their cases. Social workers in this practice must be committed to directly defending people accused of crimes. 

LGBTQ Defense Project  

The LGBTQ Defense Project is an innovative, client-centered program providing holistic representation and advocacy tailored to the needs of LGBTQ+ community members. The LGBTQ Defense Project provides queer and trans residents of the Bronx with representation by specialized attorneys, social workers, and advocates who honor their clients as people, understand the ways legal systems pose threats beyond those faced by straight and cisgender people, and provide defense that responds to and mitigates those harms inside courtrooms, jails, prisons, and legislative chambers. 

Adolescence Defense Practice (ADP)  

Young people in the South Bronx grow up in one of the most under-resourced and over-policed communities in the nation. These complex conditions can trap youth in cycles of poverty, as well as criminal and juvenile legal involvement. The dedicated team of defense attorneys, social workers, education attorneys, and advocates working on the Adolescent Defense Project provides specialized representation to young people who are being prosecuted as adults. 

Our ADP social workers use trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches to assess our clients’ biopsychosocial and educational needs, and specialize in understanding youth mental health needs, substance use, and the impact of trauma, community violence, and educational factors on a young person’s likelihood of involvement in the legal system. Policy advocacy is also an integral part of the work we do. In addition to the general responsibilities, interns in the Adolescent Defense Practice also:  

• Contribute to the development of the ADP Program Resource Guide by updating youth job readiness and employment and substance use and mental health treatment programs and contacts
• Research current academic articles related to adolescent brain development and write annotated bibliography summaries
• Conduct outreach to community and youth organizations and coordinate program presentations for the practice 
• Can attend ADP policy and coalition meetings 

 Prisoners’ Rights Project (PRP) 

Our Prisoners’ Rights Project provides direct support to incarcerated clients struggling with the challenges of navigating prison and jail life. We focus on our clients’ conditions of confinement; preserving the rights of our incarcerated clients to medical treatment, education, access to counsel, and medical and mental health advocacy; advising clients facing disciplinary proceedings; filing article 78s; engaging in city and state coalitions; and supporting grassroots efforts, lobbying, and policy reform. PRP also assists attorneys and advocates with bail applications and mitigation advocacy, focusing on ways in which experiences in custody may present unique mitigating factors for our clients.   

Social Work Intern Responsibilities  

• Collaborate with lawyers and other advocates on holistic defense teams to identify and achieve the stated legal goals of our clients
• Advocate for clients in court, incarceration settings, and with community-based programs
• Inform clientsabout the court process and assist them in overcoming barriers while navigating carceral systems
• Interview and assess clients to identify strengths, resources, and needs
• Provide supportive counseling, crisis intervention, and case management for clients throughout the pendency of their legal cases
• Engage in oral advocacy with judges, prosecutors, and other court and program staff
• Prepare persuasive written work product, including mitigation reports, for judges and prosecutors incorporating content from psychosocial interviews, interviews with collateral sources, healthcare records, and social science research
• Assist with review of behavioral, medical, education, and other records
• Prepare clients for court-related assessments, interpret external assessments, and liaise with external behavioral health experts
• Visit clients in NYC jails, ICE detention facilities, court appearances, and community-based programs
• Provide re-entry services to clients upon their release from detention/jail facilities
• Maintain case recordsin Bronx Defenders’ informational case management system
• Cultivate relationships with community programs and social service providers
• Participate in social work-specific trainings 
• Attend weekly supervision and peer meetings  

Requirements

• Master’s in Social Work OR Bachelor’s in Social Work Program  
• For Immigration Practice Applicants: Fluency in Spanish is required as most client work will be conducted in the Spanish language. This fluency will be validated objectively through a third party agency
• Commitment to supporting the defense of people ensnared in carceral systems in the Bronx community
• Experience working in and with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized communities
• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
• Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of the people we represent
• Effective research, writing and verbal advocacy skills 
• Knowledge of substance use disorder, domestic violence, parenting, and mental health systems
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with external partners and service providers
• Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources in cases
• Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
• Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
• Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters