Anjali Pathmanathan is a criminal defense attorney by training, and former public defender at the Legal Aid Society of New York’s Criminal Defense Practice. As a public defender, Anjali represented individuals accused of misdemeanors and felonies in Brooklyn, New York. She was motivated to research and write on this subject in response to direct observations of the criminal justice system in New York City. She earned her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2013.