The ACLU of Minnesota — in partnership with TONE UP and the Minneapolis NAACP — is excited to announce our 2025-2026 Smart Justice Fellowship!
Minnesota’s criminal legal system was created by policymakers who have never experienced it, leading to dysfunctional and inhumane policies that make us all less safe. It’s time for that to change. To do this, the Smart Justice Fellowship is recruiting aspiring Justice-Impacted leaders to train as organizers, building a movement by and for Justice-Impacted Minnesotans to change our criminal legal system.
Through this ten-month hybrid fellowship opportunity, participants will (1) gain the organizing skills and experience necessary to engage with Justice-Impacted Minnesotans in communities across the state, (2) learn how to navigate and work in coalitions toward a common campaign goal, and (3) study policy solutions to shrink our prison system and reduce racial inequalities within our criminal legal system.
We are seeking candidates who are…
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Passionate about criminal legal reform
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Motivated to protect and expand the rights of incarcerated Minnesotans and Minnesotans on parole/probation
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Driven to be a visible leader advocating for the interests of Justice-Impacted Minnesotans, both in their home communities and across the state
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Directly or indirectly impacted by Minnesota’s criminal legal system (for example: you have been arrested, convicted of a crime, incarcerated, on probation/parole, or have been significantly impacted by a close family member experiencing these things)
This fellowship is meant for aspiring Justice-Impacted activists of all experience levels across the state of Minnesota; we especially encourage applications from candidates who…
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Are already participating in a campaign or coalition focused on criminal legal reform
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Have professional experience working in the recovery field (for example: as a CPRS)
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Are based in Greater Minnesota (outside of Hennepin and Ramsey Counties)
FELLOWSHIP DETAILS
The 2025-2026 Smart Justice Fellowship will run for ten months (September 2025 – June 2026) and will consist of ten meetings (one per month) aimed at training Fellows to become organizers and leaders in their communities. Meetings will mostly be remote, with certain in-person meetings at the ACLU of Minnesota’s office in Minneapolis. The classes will be taught by a selection of community experts, and will focus on topics such as…
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Organizing community actions
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Navigating coalitions
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Interacting with elected officials and policy makers
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Communications
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Canvassing/phone banking
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Building relationships with judicial officials
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The history and present of criminal legal reform in Minnesota
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The ACLU-MN’s Smart Justice policy platform, which aims to (1) shrink Minnesota’s incarcerated population by 50% and (2) reduce racial inequalities within Minnesota’s incarcerated population
What does “Justice-Impacted” mean?
Being “Justice-Impacted” means your life has been affected by the criminal legal system, whether through arrest, conviction, incarceration, probation or parole, or if your life has been significantly affected by a loved one experiencing these things.
Why is this fellowship specifically for Justice-Impacted individuals?
In short: because we believe the messenger matters. Justice-Impacted organizers, who have first-hand experience with the effects of our criminal legal system, are by far the most powerful and effective advocates for its transformation. For Justice-Impacted organizers, the struggle is personal – not an abstraction. This means that they can speak with authority on the ways our system is broken to those in power, and they can more effectively mobilize other Justice-Impacted Minnesotans to support policy changes.
Do I need to live in the Twin Cities to participate?
No! Justice-Impacted Minnesotans live in every community across the state – urban, suburban and rural. While most criminal legal reform organizing has historically happened in the Twin Cities, to transform our criminal legal system we need advocates organizing for change in Greater Minnesota, too! The Smart Justice Fellowship aims to recruit fellows from each of Minnesota’s ten Judicial Districts to support this vision, and to accommodate participation by fellows in Greater Minnesota the majority of this program is virtual.
STIPEND & TRAVEL EXPENSES
Fellows will be awarded a stipend of $2,000 for their participation in the fellowship, directly tied to their attendance ($200 per meeting). The ACLU of Minnesota will also reimburse travel expenses, such as gas and lodging, for in-person meetings.
TIME COMMITMENT
The fellowship will have one class meeting per month from September 2025 to June of 2026. The majority of class meetings will be held remotely, and will generally last for 90 minutes. 3-4 of the meetings will be held in-person at the ACLU of Minnesota’s office in Minneapolis. In-person modules will vary in length depending on programmatic content. Additionally, each fellow will be required to meet once monthly for at least 30 minutes with a coalition coach from the campaign each fellow is embedded in. Fellows will come to an agreement with their coalition coaches on the degree of participation expected in their respective campaigns, with a focus on learning.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Apply for the 2025 Smart Justice Fellowship before August 1, 2025. APPLY TO THE FELLOWSHIP TODAY
Please send any questions to psullivan@aclu-mn.org.
Please note that fellowships are limited term positions, with a duration of ten months (September 2025 – June 2026). Fellows are neither employed nor contracted by the ACLU-MN.
ACLU-MN is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. ACLU-MN encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction.
ACLU-MN undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to assure that persons with disabilities have full opportunities for employment in all positions. We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to contact: jburman@aclu-mn.org (correspondence sent to this email address that is not related to requests for accommodations will not be reviewed).