Surraya Johnson is the Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.

She is an attorney who has dedicated her career to public service assisting the underrepresented.

Prior to joining the Institute, Surraya was a Principal Court Attorney in the Supreme Court of New York – Criminal Term where she advised on complex legal matters and assisted in researching and drafting judicial opinions on novel and complex criminal issues. Surraya also spent almost a decade at the Legal Aid Society in their Criminal Trial Division in Manhattan as both a staff attorney and supervisor. During her time at the Society, she honed her passion for advocacy, litigating serious felony criminal cases including homicides. In addition to her litigation experience, Surraya was actively involved in training and mentorship, policy development, and interdisciplinary collaboration with external stakeholders in the legal and justice communities including supervising at one of Manhattan’s problem-solving court, Midtown Community Court.

Surraya is also an adjunct professor teaching the Lawyering Seminar program at CUNY School of Law.

Surraya is an alum of the University of North Carolina School of Law located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she received her juris doctorate.