Aimee Clesi

Aimee Clesi is a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Centre for Criminology and Balliol College. Her research focuses on judicial and legislative pathways to abolish the death penalty in the United States, examining its constitutional interpretation under the Eighth Amendment and regional entrenchment in the American South.

She previously earned an

• MPhil in Criminology and Criminal Justice (with Distinction) from the University of Oxford
• Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history (with Highest Honors) from the University of Florida

Her undergraduate work on racial discrimination in jury selection and legal barriers to proving actual innocence received multiple awards. She has professional experience in Florida’s judiciary, including roles at the state supreme court and federal trial court, and completed a visiting fellowship at Northeastern Law School's Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project.

Research Interests include:

• Death penalty abolition
• Constitutional law
• Racial justice in legal systems
• Human rights law
• Procedural barriers to legal innocence claims

Scientific Awards:

• Multiple awards for philosophy and history research