Zoë Root

Zoë Root serves as Senior Policy Counsel at the Justice Programs Office (JPO) and Adjunct Instructor in the School of Public Affairs at American University. At JPO, she directs the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Initiative and contributes to the Right to Counsel National Campaign, providing national technical assistance to align court practices with federal guidelines.

Her professional expertise spans criminal justice systems reform, with emphasis on reducing incarceration through evidence-based interventions. Key focus areas include juvenile drug courts, human trafficking response systems, prostitution offense vacatur mechanisms, and alternative sentencing models for vulnerable populations.

Educational background:

• J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law
• B.A. in Psychology from Vassar College

Professional trajectory includes five years as supervising attorney at The Bronx Defenders, where she represented thousands of criminal defendants, trained new attorneys, and directed specialized court initiatives including the Prostitution Conviction Vacatur Project and Bronx County's human trafficking intervention court. Prior experience encompasses alternative-to-incarceration programming at CASES, immigration law paralegal work, and judicial internships at federal and appellate institutions.