Keating Drake photo

 

Intern, unCUFFED Ministries

Major:  Criminology and Criminal Justice (B.A.) and Public Policy Double Major

Minor:  Spanish

Class Year: 2024

 

 

 

What was a typical week like in your internship position?

This internship was part-time, so I worked about two hours a day Monday - Friday. Each day was different.

  • Mondays I would lead an evening bible study at an addiction recovery clinic called the Helping Up Mission.
  • Tuesdays I was supposed to go to the Charles Hickey School for bible studies and life skills classes, but they were often inaccessible because of COVID-19 quarantine, so I often went to the office and worked on bible study preparation for two hours or so.
  • Wednesdays I would often meet with the executive director for an hour in the morning to discuss my internship and the different facilities we were visiting. In the afternoons I would go into Baltimore City Detention and Intake Center (also known as Central Booking) and lead a bible study with the men on the opioid recovery tier.
  • Thursdays I went to Youth Detention Center in the evenings for more bible studies and life skills classes.
  • Fridays I worked remotely on more bible study prep.

 

 

What do you enjoy most about your current position?

   What I loved most about my internship with unCUFFED was the unique opportunity to experience incarceration in the United States firsthand. I was able to build relationships with people who come from very different backgrounds than my own, which helped me to better empathize with their situations and understand their needs. I also loved being able to intersect my Christian faith and my passion for criminal justice and supporting those who are incarcerated.

 

 

How did your coursework help you in your internship?

I am grateful that the CCJS359- Field Training in Criminal Justice coursework has not been too heavy, and I think that it has helped me to understand my internship and organize my thoughts about it. The reflection at the beginning of the summer helped me to identify the internal challenges of the organization so I could make adjustments to minimize problems.

 

 

How did you locate your internship position?

I was asking a friend for a personal recommendation to apply for another CCJS internship that was suggested by BSOS and the CCJS Program at UMD. This friend connected me with John Rusnak, the executive director of unCUFFED, because they were personal friends and my friend also wanted to be involved as a volunteer. I reached out to John to set up a virtual meeting (I was abroad at the time), and he hired me from thousands of miles away at the end of our first meeting.

 

 

Advice for students:

Overall internship tips: Be flexible and willing to serve! Internship work is not glamorous and you may not receive any credit for the work that you do, but be patient and try to find things in the job that you enjoy. If you really don't like the experience, that's okay! That's the point of internships, and knowing what you don't like is a step in the right direction of finding the best career for you.

Searching tips: Don't be afraid to send LOTS of cold emails! Some people won't reply, but others will be really impressed with your initiative and want to talk. Try not to get discouraged by the ones that ghost you.

Anything else you want to share with students about your experience?

Working within the prison system really tests your patience! There are so many rules and each facility is completely different. They also flake a lot, so you could drive 40 minutes out to a facility, just to find out that they won't let you in, without any explanation. You have to be patient and kind to those who are working at each facility. Remember that it is a privilege to be able to go in and out of detention centers.