San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today announced the appointment of Katy Weinstein Miller to serve as Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for the City and County of San Francisco. Over the past two decades, Miller has worked to improve the criminal justice system as a community-based reformer and direct service provider, government policymaker and funder, and most recently, through her work in the District Attorney’s Office.

Working under the Mayoral-appointed Juvenile Probation Commission, the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer is responsible for leading the Juvenile Probation Department (JPD). JPD locates, develops, and administers programs for the assessment, education, treatment, appropriate rehabilitation, and effective supervision of youth under the jurisdiction of the Department.

“As we work to reform our juvenile justice system, it’s critical that we have a Chief Juvenile Probation Officer that is committed to keeping young people out of Juvenile Hall in the first place, providing rehabilitation with an equity lens for those who are in our custody, and ensuring youth get the support they need in order to break the cycle of the juvenile justice system,” said Mayor Breed. “Katy Miller’s experience, skills, and values make her an ideal leader for the Juvenile Probation Department. I’m looking forward to working with her to reform our juvenile justice system.”

“We are at a critical moment in San Francisco’s juvenile justice system. The historically low number of young people in our system affords us an unparalleled opportunity—and obligation—to re-examine our practices and create responses to delinquency grounded in positive youth development, equity and community well-being,” said Miller. “I’m grateful to Mayor Breed for entrusting me with the responsibility to lead San Francisco’s Juvenile Probation Department at this pivotal time. The challenges that confront us are urgent and complex, but we face them at a moment uniquely rich in hopeful solutions and collective will for change.”

Miller is currently the Chief of Programs and Initiatives in the District Attorney’s Office, a role that she has held since 2014. In that role, she leads policy and program development for the District Attorney’s juvenile and alternative justice programs and strategies. She oversaw the development, operation, and evaluation of Make it Right, a restorative justice diversion program for youths facing felony prosecution, and Young Adult Court, a nationally-recognized model for 18- to 25-year-olds charged with serious and violent felonies. She has previously held positions with Attorney General Kamala Harris’ transition team, as Director of Strategic Planning for Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, and in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice for both Mayor Willie Brown and Mayor Gavin Newsom.

“Katy Miller will make an amazing Chief Probation Officer, and Mayor Breed could not have selected a better person for the job,” said Denise Coleman, Director of Youth Justice for Huckleberry Youth Programs, Community Assessment and Resource Center (CARC). “I have worked with Katy for over twenty years and she consistently serves young people and their families with integrity, commitment, and passion. I am looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes in this new role.”

Mayor Breed is committed to reforming San Francisco’s juvenile justice system. In April 2019, Mayor Breed announced the formation of the Juvenile Justice Reform Blue Ribbon Panel, which is focusing on comprehensive and system-wide reform to San Francisco’s juvenile justice system. The Panel is charged with identifying systematic, implementable, and compassionate reforms to drastically reduce the number of youth detained in both Juvenile Hall and the State Division of Juvenile Justice. Miller is a member of the Panel.

Miller has a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. She will begin serving as the Chief Probation Officer later this month.

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