Adam Foss
A brief rundown of Adam Foss’s early years shows a trajectory that aligns with his choices as an adult: Born in Columbia and adopted by an Irish-American family from Massachusetts; experienced childhood as one of color in a small town; arrested at age 19 for marijuana possession but got off easy because his father was a white police officer; was a first-generation college student; took a class on restorative justice which inspired him to seek a law degree; interned at a small municipal court in an impoverished and dangerous Boston neighborhood.
After earning his law degree, Foss spent 10 years as an assistant district attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in Boston. He is a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform and is one of our nation’s leading voices in redefining the role of the prosecutor in ending mass incarceration. Foss believes that the profession of prosecution is ripe for reinvention, creating better incentives and more measurable metrics for success beyond simply “cases won.”