Erica Navalance

Erica has worked with both The Capital Appeals Project and PJI since 2015, but joined PJI full time in 2021 as a senior staff attorney for the Strategic Defense Litigation project, focusing on combatting excessive sentences, capital punishment, and other injustices in the criminal system. In addition to direct representation, Erica was a part of the Lewis v. Cain and Ramos v. Louisiana litigation teams, co-authored a report shedding light on the terrible conditions of confinement in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, and has taught courses on incarceration and the death penalty at Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law. Erica earned her BA from Brandeis University, served as an Americorps member for two years in Boston, and then received her JD from Wake Forest School of Law.