Priya Sarathy Jones is the Co-Executive Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC), bringing nearly 20 years of experience in law, policy, government, and advocacy. Along with her Co-Executive Director, Priya is responsible for strategic planning and implementation, fundraising and development, and co-leading FFJC in its mission to reform and eliminate the detrimental effects of fines and fees. She directly oversees FFJC’s Advocacy and Campaigns Division, which leads national campaigns and state and local legislative efforts to transform fines and fees systems across the United States. Priya collaborates closely with the state and national teams to develop advocacy strategies that empower local communities, advocates, and governments to drive significant policy and legislative reforms. Priya joined FFJC in 2019 as the National Advocacy and Campaigns Director, helping to create and shape FFJC’s national campaigns and national advocacy strategy before becoming the organization’s Deputy Executive Director in 2022. 

Before joining FFJC, Priya spent nearly a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), working in various policy roles across the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Office of Justice Programs, and as a liaison to the Office for Access to Justice. Her work spanned a wide range of issues, including fines and fees, 6th Amendment rights, wrongful convictions, capital case litigation, and law enforcement, with a particular focus on tribal jurisdictions. Priya also led award-winning and cross agency initiatives and managed the distribution of DOJ criminal justice grants to courts, law enforcement, and technical assistance providers working on innovative solutions to reform the justice system. In addition, she served as Senior Counsel for the House Oversight Committee, where she played a key role in shaping Congressional and legislative affairs, before returning to the DOJ to help shape its policy and legislative priorities.

Priya has nearly a decade of experience in fines and fees reform. She served on the nation’s first task force focused on these issues and led the DOJ’s inaugural “Price of Justice” program, which emerged from its investigation into policing practices in Ferguson, Missouri. In 2023, Priya was appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity, where she advises the Secretary of Transportation on civil rights and equity issues impacting transportation. She is also a sought-after speaker, having delivered keynotes and presentations on economic, racial, and criminal justice issues, and is extensively featured in the media to discuss these critical topics.

Priya holds a J.D. and a B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar Association. Priya lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two children, where she is actively involved in her local community.