San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today announced the composition of her Juvenile Justice Reform Blue Ribbon Panel, which will focus on comprehensive and system-wide reform to San Francisco’s juvenile justice system. The first meeting of the Blue Ribbon Panel is tentatively scheduled for April 18^th and their report is expected to be filed within six months of the first meeting.

The panel will be co-chaired by San Francisco Human Rights Commission Executive Director Sheryl Davis and Corey Monroe, a twenty year member of the Omega Boys Club of San Francisco who works with incarcerated youth in the juvenile justice system, teaching them how to avoid the risk factors that lead to violence and drug abuse. The panel will consist of elected officials, City representatives, Superior Court Judges, advocacy group members, service providers, and residents with lived experiences in the juvenile justice system. The effort will be facilitated and assisted by experts and leaders in criminal justice reform with decades of experience, including David Muhammed, Executive Director of National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, and Shawn Ginwright, author and Professor of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. A complete list of participants is included below.

“I am proud that we are able to bring together such a diverse group of leaders to provide their expertise, insight, and experiences on how to best reform our juvenile justice system,” said Mayor Breed. “While we have had success in greatly reducing the number of incarcerated youth in San Francisco, we need to take the next step and reimagine what our system will be in the future. I am confident that we can enact equitable, comprehensive reforms that better serve both our young people and the City.”

The juvenile justice system is the structure of the criminal justice system that deals with crimes allegedly committed by minors, and is focused on rehabilitation. It includes both government and community agencies that work with at-risk youth, ranging from non-profit contractors providing community-based advocacy and counseling; juvenile probation and group homes; the county Juvenile Justice Center (formerly known as the Youth Guidance Center, or YGC); and the state-run Division of Juvenile Justice detention facilities. San Francisco has emphasized rehabilitation and counseling, reducing the number of detained youth by two-thirds over the last fifteen years.

“Juvenile justice reform is not new to San Francisco or to Mayor Breed,” said Human Rights Commission Director Sheryl Davis, who has over 15 years of experience overseeing community-based organizations that work with low-income youth and families on economic development and violence prevention. “At the heart of this should be addressing the systemic issues that contribute to the inequities we see in our communities and prisons. An approach void of exploring prevention, systems change, resource allocation and alternative supports is doomed to fail. We want to ensure youth are prepared for success that we are prepared to help them be the best person they can be.”

“As someone who has worked for decades to change and save lives of those who have entered juvenile hall, we know that we can help those kids, especially young men of color who are disproportionately represented in the system,” said Corey Monroe. “When these young people do get into trouble, we are there to ensure that they don’t begin a pattern of incarceration. That is how we have reduced the number of kids in juvenile hall, and we will continue to do that work through this panel.”

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. They will evaluate existing programming, facilities, and the statutory requirements of the juvenile justice system, with a focus on reinvestment and creating opportunities for at-risk youth. With an emphasis on feasibility and implementation, the Panel will recommend alternatives to detention and appropriate funding levels for related programming; compatible uses and investments for the City’s existing facilities at the Log Cabin Ranch and the Juvenile Justice Center; and will create a plan for eliminating discretionary youth detention in San Francisco.

Mayor Breed’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Juvenile Justice Reform

Co-Chairs

Sheryl Davis, Executive Director, San Francisco Human Rights Commission

Corey Davis, Community Partner

City Leaders

Chief Allen Nance, Juvenile Probation Department

Patti Lee, Deputy Public Defender

Tiffany Sutton, Director of Crime Strategies Division, Police Department

Katherine Weinstein Miller, Deputy District Attorney

Maria Su, Executive Directive, Department of Children, Youth and Families

Joan Miller, Director of Child Welfare, Human Services Agency

Ben Rosenfeld, Controller

Naomi Kelly, City Administrator

Vincent Matthews, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District

Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland, Director of Mental Health Reform, Department of Public Health

Youth Commissioner to be announced

Juvenile Probation Commissioner to be announced

Superior Court

Judge Monica F. Wiley, Supervising Judge of the Unified Family Court

Judge Roger Chan

Judge Pat Mahoney (ret.)

Advocacy Organizations

Dan Macallair, Executive Director, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ)

Dawn Stueckle, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Sunset Youth Services

Rudy Corpuz, Executive Director, United Playaz

Jessica Nowlan, Executive Director, Young Women’s Freedom Center

Allison Magee, Executive Director, Zellerbach Family Foundation

Kasie Lee, San Francisco Bar Association

Community Members

Liz Jackson-Simpson, Executive Director, Success Center

Michael Texada, Social Work Associate, UCSF Wraparound Project

Sarah Wan, Executive Director, Community Youth Center

Arturo Carillo, Program Director, Street Violence Intervention Program

Robert Figone, Retired YGC, education programming

Consultants

David Muhammad, Executive Director, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

Shawn Ginwright, Professor, San Francisco State University

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