Joshua Rovner
Director of Youth Justice
Joshua Rovner joined The Sentencing Project in 2014 and has been Director of Youth Justice since 2022. His work aims to limit the number of children and adolescents involved in the juvenile and adult justice systems by closing pathways to adult courts and supporting alternatives to incarceration. His work also encompasses youth serving extreme sentences.
Josh’s work has supported reforms in numerous states through research and testimony. He is the author of several papers and fact sheets for The Sentencing Project, including “Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview;” “Too Many Locked Doors: The Scope of Youth Confinement is Vastly Understated;” and data analyses on racial and ethnic disparities in youth justice. He has had opinion pieces published in the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Houston Chronicle, and the Hartford Courant.
Prior to joining TSP, Josh has worked on public health campaigns, such as access to primary and mental health care, tobacco prevention, and comprehensive health education, that continue to frame his outlook on child and adolescent well-being. He previously worked at the School-Based Health Alliance, Metro TeenAIDS, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and the Council of the District of Columbia. He earned his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Rochester and a Master of Public Policy from the George Washington University.
