About Tyler
From experiencing incarceration firsthand to becoming an advocate for criminal legal reform, Tyler Foster’s journey is one of resilience, transformation, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Raised by a single mother, he faced childhood poverty and witnessed the devastating impact of incarceration on those around him. As a young adult, he was incarcerated for several months, enduring solitary confinement and confronting the harsh realities of the criminal legal system.
While incarcerated, Tyler became a “jailhouse lawyer,” spending his days studying the law, assisting others with their cases, and leading legal empowerment workshops. It was through this experience that he discovered his calling: to use the law as a tool for liberation. Tyler now attends the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law on a full-tuition scholarship, where he is a Humphreys Law Fellow and has received multiple academic awards. He is the co-founder and president of the Transformative Justice Initiative, a student-led organization committed to dismantling punitive legal systems and advancing community-centered approaches to justice through education, advocacy, and movement lawyering.
Beyond academics, Tyler is a respected leader in the nonprofit field. As a board member of the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN), he spearheads efforts to expand educational and employment opportunities for system-impacted individuals. As vice president of the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), he leads grassroots advocacy and coalition-building efforts focused on advancing social justice. He previously served as a board member of Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality, and Benevolence (CALEB) and co-chaired its Criminal Justice Task Force, where he built coalitions and led criminal legal reform initiatives.
Tyler is frequently recognized for his expertise on criminal legal reform. He co-authored a Vanderbilt Law School article titled “Movement Lawyering for Pretrial Justice in Eastern Tennessee” and has been invited to speak as a panelist at Harvard Law School on movement lawyering and abolitionist legal strategies. His work has been featured in news outlets including The Daily Memphian, The Commercial Appeal, The Tennessean, USA Today, Action News 5, WREG, and FOX13.
Before law school, Tyler worked as a community organizer and as a criminal defense paralegal/investigator. He also interned with the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office (Memphis, TN) and the Federal Defender Services of East Tennessee (Chattanooga, TN). Tyler earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Memphis. He was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship and inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.
Tyler’s journey from incarceration to law school fuels his relentless fight for transformative change. By combining his lived experience with legal training and community-rooted advocacy, he works to dismantle oppressive systems and build a legal system rooted in equity, dignity, and collective liberation.
Career Overview
Tyler’s journey in the legal field began during his incarceration, where he worked as a “jailhouse lawyer” assisting others in navigating the criminal legal system. That experience exposed him to the system’s deep-rooted injustices and sparked a lasting commitment to change. Driven by this desire, Tyler is now a top-ranked law student at the University of Memphis School of Law, where he attends on a full-tuition scholarship and is a Humphreys Law Fellow. Outside of school, he is actively involved in nonprofit work:
Board Member, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN) – Provide board leadership to further organization’s mission of expanding education and employment opportunities for system-impacted individuals
Vice President, Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) – Guide organizational direction and provide guidance to advance criminal legal reform initiatives
Advisor, Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative – Provide guidance on legal empowerment and community outreach initiatives
Former Board Member & Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Task Force, Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality, and Benevolence (CALEB) – Built cross-sector coalitions and led grassroots criminal legal reform initiatives
In addition to his nonprofit leadership roles, Tyler has collaborated with Harvard Law School and Vanderbilt Law School on projects focused on movement lawyering and pretrial justice. He co-authored a published article for Vanderbilt Law School and has spoken at Harvard Law School about movement lawyering. His work has been featured in news outlets including The Commercial Appeal, The Daily Memphian, The Tennessean, WREG, and Action News 5.
I was raised by a strong single mother who taught me the value of compassion, perseverance, and hard work. From an early age, I understood what it meant to struggle financially. My family depended on government assistance to meet our basic needs, and I witnessed the constant stress and instability that come with poverty, especially in a society that often turns a blind eye to those with the least.
When I was 14, I started working, and by 16, I was holding down a full-time job while attending high school full-time. I spent years in the restaurant and hospitality industries, often juggling two or three jobs at once. The hours were long, the work was physical, and the pay was low, but those jobs taught me discipline, adaptability, and a work ethic I still carry with me today. They also gave me a deep respect for working-class people who do what they must to survive.
When I was 19, I was charged with two felony offenses and faced a sentence that could have kept me in prison for up to 100 years. I ultimately served several months in jail, including time in solitary confinement. I witnessed firsthand how the criminal legal system punishes poverty, mental illness, and substance use while doing little to address the root causes of harm.
After my release, I faced the lasting consequences of a criminal record. I was turned away from jobs, denied housing, and shut out of educational opportunities—not because I lacked potential, but because of a past I couldn’t escape. It was a painful reminder that punishment doesn’t end at the jailhouse door. Still, those experiences pushed me to keep going. They made me want to better understand the system and to support others who were navigating the same barriers I had.
Today, that same motivation drives my work. I’m committed to helping build a legal system that prioritizes support, healing, and accountability over punishment. I believe real public safety comes from access to affordable housing, quality education, youth mentorship, mental health care, and living-wage jobs. I don’t claim to have all the answers—but I’ve seen firsthand what doesn’t work, and I’m committed to being part of the effort to create something better.
My journey—from working long hours in the service industry, to navigating the criminal legal system firsthand, to attending law school—has shaped how I see the world and the kind of advocate I strive to be. I’ve experienced the barriers that so many people face, and I understand what’s at stake when systems fail. I carry that with me every day—as motivation, as responsibility, and as purpose.