Anusha Somani

Anusha Somani has joined CJJR’s Racial and Equity Team as a Program Manager.

Prior to joining CJJR, Anusha was a Policy Fellow at the Illinois Justice Project and worked on the revamping of the Illinois Reentry Council Strategic Plan to provide fair and equitable resources and pathways for formerly incarcerated individuals. She is also part of the Juvenile Court Act (JCA) Amendment Working Group, where the members are actively making recommendations and changes to the JCA. She has worked in the capacity of a Research Assistant at the University of Chicago Urban Labs, primarily with the Inclusive Economy Lab (IEL), the Crime Lab and the Education Lab. She also played a prominent role during her time with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) in preparing and presenting a case for reparations for the harm inflicted on youth and to advocate for California adopt a reparations scheme to address the long-term harm to youth incarcerated at DJJ.

Anusha received her Master’s in Social Work, Policy, and Administration from the University of Chicago. She graduated with a Bachelors in Social Development and Policy from Habib University (Pakistan). Her undergraduate thesis focused on understanding the rehabilitation and social reintegration needs of detained youth, making it the first undergraduate research conducted in Pakistan’s prison system.