About Jessica
Jessica Younts, PhD JD
Research Associate
Jessica Younts serves as a consultant assisting with strategic planning, organizational infrastructure, and business management. She also serves as operations manager for Florida Justice Center a nonprofit legal aid organization that provides free and low-cost legal assistance to individuals that have been impacted by the criminal legal system. Jessica is co-founder of Justice Impact Alliance (JIA), an organization led by individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. Through the research, programs, and policy collaborations of justice-impacted leadership, JIA has introduced several initiatives targeting inequities within legal, education, housing, and employment systems including the Justice Impact Network, a digital platform providing resources for people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system.
Jessica served as VP of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition from incorporation in 2011 until 2021 and served as the Fines & Fees Program Director from 2019- 2021. She was involved with the drafting and ultimate passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, which eliminated the lifetime ban on voting for people with felony convictions and instantly re-enfranchised over 1.45 million people with past felony convictions. After legislation was passed that attempted to limit the reach of Amendment 4, Jessica developed and implemented FRRC’s Fines & Fees Program which paid close to $30 million towards people’s fines and fees.
Jessica holds both a JD and Ph.D in Criminal Justice from Nova Southeastern University, and a BS from St. John’s University.
