Marc Schindler

Marc Schindler is Executive Director of the Justice Policy Institute (JPI), a national non-profit research and policy organization dedicated to reducing the use of incarceration in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Prior to joining JPI in 2013, Marc was a partner with Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), where he led VPP’s Social Innovation Fund youthCONNECT initiative – an innovative philanthropic effort aligning public-private capital, evaluation, and high performing non-profit organizations to improve the education, employment, and health outcomes of 14-24 year old disconnected youth in the National Capital Region. Marc came to VPP from the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), where he held numerous positions between 2005-2010, including serving as General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Interim Director. He joined DYRS in 2005 as one of a team of reformers who worked to transform that agency into a nationally recognized and innovative department that focused on reducing the use of incarceration in favor of community based solutions, with its reforms grounded in the principles of Positive Youth Development.

From 1997 to 2005, Marc served as a Staff Attorney with the Youth Law Center (YLC), a national public interest civil rights law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of young people in juvenile justice and child welfare systems nationwide. Marc also served as co-chair of the national Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition, and has served on numerous boards and commissions, including as a member of the ABA’s Juvenile Justice Committee, the DC Police Complaints Board, the Maryland Governor’s Task Force on Juvenile Justice, the Tow Youth Justice Advisory Board and the DC Mayor’s Safer, Stronger Advisory Committee. He started his legal career as a public defender representing children in Baltimore's juvenile court. Marc is a recognized expert in the field, providing commentary in the national media, including in The New York Times and The Washington Post and on CNN and NPR, and is also the author of numerous articles and book chapters. Marc is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Maryland School of Law. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two children.