Julie Abbate

Julie Abbate is JDI’s National Advocacy Director, based in its Washington, D.C. office. She leads JDI’s federal and state policy work, advocating for government action to address sexual abuse behind bars. Julie has spent most of her 25-year legal career fighting for prisoners’ rights. She comes to JDI after 15 years at the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she focused on combating sexual abuse in women’s prisons. Julie was also a member of the Attorney General’s PREA Working Group, which drafted the national Prison Rape Elimination Act standards. She is a certified PREA auditor.