Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson is a Senior Youth Defense Counsel at the Gault Center, where she manages a national portfolio of training and technical assistance to advance zealous youth defense representation and strengthen youth rights. Prior to joining the Gault Center, Sarah was the Director of Specialty Practices, Director of Youth Defense, and head of the Children’s Defense Team (CDT) for the Missouri State Public Defender System. Sarah began her work as a public defender in 2009, representing both children and adults in the St. Louis Area. In 2017, Sarah became the Director of Youth Defense and Policy, and in 2019, Sarah was the first to lead CDT, a specialized group of attorneys, mitigation specialists and support staff that represent children in delinquency proceedings across the state.

In her role at the Gault Center, Sarah has led efforts across the country to create statewide specialized youth defense systems, including intensive site work in Kansas to create bridges across youth leaders, community partners, decisionmakers, and defense attorneys to build a sustainable youth defense system model so that all children and youth can access specialized youth defense representation.

Sarah is a proud graduate of Saint Louis University, both as an undergraduate and law student. Sarah lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband, two children and silver lab.