Death Penalty Information Center
Internship Spring 2024
I began my exploration of the legal system through my work with the Death Penalty Information Center, where I researched death penalty cases and analyzed the legal and ethical factors shaping outcomes. I contributed to policy briefs and reports, including work on how electoral pressures influence judicial decision-making, showing that judges are more likely to affirm death sentences during election years. I also supported public-facing advocacy through writing and research for profile articles highlighting figures like Ernie Chambers and Sarah Belal, connecting individual stories to broader systemic issues. This experience deepened my interest in how prosecutors, judges, and institutions make decisions, and specifically how psychological processes, like bias, perception, and pressure, shape legal outcomes. It ultimately sparked my interest in the intersection of law, policy, and psychology.
Year
Jan. 2024 – May. 2024
Black History Month Profile Series: Ernie Chambers
A powerful look at Ernie Chambers’ decades-long fight against the death penalty, racial injustice, and systemic inequality in the United States.
Women’s History Month Profile Series: Sarah Belal
A profile of Sarah Belal, founder of Justice Project Pakistan, whose work focuses on criminal justice reform and defending vulnerable individuals facing the death penalty, including those with mental illness and wrongful convictions.