Sheila Bedi leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s efforts on behalf of children in Mississippi and Louisiana and provides strategic guidance on select campaigns in other states. Bedi represents imprisoned children in federal class action litigation challenging unconstitutional prison and jail conditions and school children who have been denied access to public education. She also coordinates community-based advocacy campaigns and public policy reform efforts. Under her direction, the SPLC’s Mississippi Youth Justice Project played a key role in closing a notoriously abusive girls’ prison and helped bring reforms to significantly reduce the number of children imprisoned in Mississippi’s training schools.

Her previous litigation experience includes cases involving race and disability discrimination, open government and freedom of information, racial profiling and religious freedom in state prisons. Bedi is a graduate of The Georgetown University Law Center and the American University Washington College of Law. She has been nationally recognized, receiving numerous awards for her work in protecting the civil rights of children and youth.