LJ founded The Des in 2020 right before the covid pandemic. She had just left an internship at POLITICO Magazine and wanted to pursue reporting on criminal justice independently.

She has reported for national outlets and local newspapers and covered criminal justice and inequity across the country for the last five years. 

You can read her past work at The Des, CNN, NPR, Kaiser Health News, NBC, POLITICO Magazine, Denver Westword, The Colorado Springs Independent and The Appeal.