Ash Smith

Ash Smith is a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. Her research examines the efficacy of structural reforms in the criminal legal system. Ash’s current work explores the efficacy of the “reform-minded” or “progressive prosecutor” movement across jurisdictions in the United States. It asks three overarching questions. First, who are “progressive prosecutors”? Second, what policy promises do they make, and do they keep them? And third, what barriers to changemaking do they face, and what strategies do they use to overcome opposition? This mixed-methods project employs quantitative and qualitative analysis, through an original database and interviews with nearly sixty elected district attorneys. Ash’s prior work has explored pretrial risk assessment instruments, legal financial obligations (fines and fees), collateral consequences of justice-system involvement, and the use of algorithms in the criminal legal system. Her teaching interests include criminal law, criminal procedure, civil procedure, and law and social change.

Ash received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, and an A.M. in Sociology from Harvard University. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Review and participated in the Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic. Following graduation, Ash clerked for the Honorable Gregory H. Woods on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the Honorable Robin S. Rosenbaum on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Ash is also a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Harvard University.