
Presita May
Host: First Defense Legal Aid
Elizabeth focused on reducing the staggering number of people serving extremely long and often unnecessary probation sentences in Georgia, as she advocated for people on probation through policy reform, education, and direct representation.
Georgia has the highest rate of people under correctional control in the nation, and, on average, sentences individuals on probation nearly three times longer than other states. Even though Black individuals make up just 33% of Georgia’s population, nearly 50% of the over 180,000 individuals on probation are Black. From both a safety and cost perspective, Georgia’s staggering numbers are ineffective at improving outcomes for individuals serving sentences and the community as a whole.
Elizabeth’s faith is the driving force behind her passion to advocate for the overlooked and the oppressed. She knows personally what it means to have a great advocate and desires that every person in the criminal justice system knows what it means to have someone fight for them.
During the two-year Fellowship, Elizabeth:
Elizabeth will continue to assist Georgians serving lengthy felony probation sentences through direct representation and policy reform as a Staff Attorney on Georgia Justice Project’s Criminal Defense team. She will broaden her fellowship’s goal of reducing the number of Georgians under correctional control.
Pursuing a passion to lift people up
Host: First Defense Legal Aid
Host: Central Minnesota Legal Services
Sponsor: Anonymous, Faegre Drinker, Target Corporation
Current Fellow
Host: Georgia Justice Project
Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig Fellowship Foundation
Host: The Legal Aid Society
Sponsor: Venture Justice Fund