The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational programme of the Open Society Institute, is seeking a law or social science graduate for a one-year fellowship to help develop and coordinate its projects in Mexico which seek to reduce the excessive use of pre-trial detention, and raise awareness of the economic and social costs of the excessive use of pre-trial detention. Fellowships are for up to one year.

In Mexico, the Justice Initiative works with a diverse group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including academic institutions and donor organisations, with an interest in criminal justice reform and pretrial detention issues. The Justice Initiative projects in Mexico involve the development of demonstration projects, capacity-building, documentation, research, analysis, reporting and advocacy.



The Resident Fellow will be based in Mexico (probably Monterrey, Nuevo Leon) and will be actively involved in the implementation of projects already in progress. The Fellow will also assist with the development of new pre-trial detention-related projects in other parts of Mexico. Travel within Mexico will be required. The Fellow will be supervised by Justice Initiative staff in New York and senior staff of the Justice Initiative's partner NGO in Monterrey.



Qualifications

Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written Spanish and English. Background in law and/or human rights work is an asset, as is knowledge of the social and political situation in Mexico. Applicants should have excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication, and organisational skills; the ability to effectively manage several projects in a fast-paced environment; integrity, professional discretion and ability to handle confidential matters; and the ability to work independently.

The fellowship will provide a stipend, commensurate with the experience of the Fellow.

Interested candidates should submit a letter explaining their interest in the position, their C.V. and recent English and Spanish writing samples to afischer@osi.hu with 'Pre-Trial Detention Fellowship' in the subject line.

Deadline for applications is September 30 2006.