Juvenile Justice in San Francisco

Since the 1980s, CJCJ has helped shape and sustain San Francisco’s nationally recognized model of community-based reform. Our decades of work have shown that when communities lead, lasting change follows. We have played a central role in this enduring movement by closely partnering with community agencies, local organizations, and directly impacted families.

San Francisco has led one of the most remarkable transformations in juvenile justice in the United States, evolving from a punitive, incarceration-centered system to one rooted in community, care, opportunity, and accountability. This progress was not the product of sweeping decrees or distant policymakers, but the outcome of a people-powered movement spanning more than five decades. Parents, youth, advocates, and local leaders joined forces to demand a system that heals rather than harms.

The movement began in San Francisco’s neighborhoods, where grassroots activism challenged systemic injustice. Jean Jacobs, a parent and community leader, founded Citizens for Juvenile Justice, organizing families to demand fairness in the courts and advocate for services over punishment. Her work laid the foundation for Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, which became a powerful voice in city policy.

Meanwhile, in the Mission District, activist Jim Queen helped launch the Real Alternatives Program (RAP), inspired by the Black and Chicano civil rights movements. RAP focused on mentorship, employment, and advocacy for youth involved in the justice system.

Both Jacobs and Queen believed deeply that justice must come from the community, not institutions.

In 1978, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office initiated a groundbreaking reform by integrating social workers into juvenile defense teams, an unprecedented move in California. Under the leadership of Patricia Lee, Director of the Juvenile Division, this holistic model combined legal representation with social services. Social workers began offering judges community-based alternatives to detention, challenging the Probation Department’s reliance on incarceration at the California Youth Authority (CYA). The results were transformative: youth incarceration plummeted, and San Francisco became one of California’s least incarcerating counties.

Patricia Lee’s vision became a national model that she continues to advance today as a longtime CJCJ board member.

Recognizing that many youth lacked access to holistic defense, CJCJ was founded in the mid-1980s to expand community-based advocacy. The organization provided individualized alternative disposition recommendations, helping more youth remain safely in their communities.

That same year, CJCJ’s Executive Director Dan Macallair joined Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, working alongside Margaret Brodkin to merge grassroots organizing with system reform. Their collaboration coincided with the Jefferson Report from the San Francisco Superior Court, which called for sweeping juvenile justice changes. This validated years of community-driven advocacy.

In 1989, a coalition led by Margaret Brodkin, Coleman Advocates, and Supervisor Nancy Walker championed Proposition L, separating the Juvenile Probation Department (JPD) from adult probation and creating the Juvenile Probation Commission.

Dan Macallair served on the planning body, ensuring that community-based alternatives were embedded in the department’s mission. For the first time, transparency and public oversight became integral to San Francisco’s juvenile justice system.

In 1991, Margaret Brodkin spearheaded Proposition J, the Children’s Amendment, creating the country’s first permanent, voter-mandated city fund for children and families.

While not exclusive to justice-involved youth, the fund allowed community organizations to receive direct city funding, reducing dependence on probation department contracts. This independence empowered innovation, leading to programs like CJCJ’s Detention Diversion Advocacy Program (DDAP).

Launched in 1993 by CJCJ and the Public Defender’s Office, DDAP offered intensive case management and court advocacy for detained youth, enabling safe community release. DDAP demonstrated that youth with serious cases and deep involvement in the justice system could benefit from intensive, community-based care.

Led by CJCJ’s Chet Hewitt, DDAP quickly earned national recognition:

• Semi-finalist for Harvard’s Innovations in American Government Award
• Recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice for reducing recidivism
• Endorsed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as a national model

DDAP remains a cornerstone of San Francisco’s community-based juvenile justice system.

In 2008, CJCJ, the Public Defender’s Office, the Juvenile Probation Department, and the Superior Court launched a reentry pilot under the federal Second Chance Initiative.

Led by Deputy Probation Chief Allison Magee and Patricia Lee, the program supported youth returning from detention. Its outcomes were remarkable:

• Only 12% of participants reoffended
• Recidivism dropped 29% compared to prior years

The program evolved into the Juvenile Collaborative Reentry Unit (JCRU), later recognized by California’s Chief Justice as a model for successful youth reentry.

In 2007, CJCJ and Mission-based leaders like Tracy Gallardo united local nonprofits to form the Juvenile Justice Providers Association (JJPA). The coalition amplified the collective voice of community-based agencies, ensuring reform efforts stayed rooted in equity and partnership.

Today, JJPA continues its work with CJCJ Deputy Director Dinky Manek Enty serving as co-chair, helping coordinate community advocacy and policy collaboration citywide.

By 2017, harsh conditions in San Francisco’s juvenile hall reignited community resistance. CJCJ, Coleman Advocates, JJPA, and allies joined Supervisor Shamann Walton to call for the closure of San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall.

With support from Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney, the Board of Supervisors voted in 2019 to shut down the facility and replace it with community-based alternatives, which would have made San Francisco the first major U.S. city to do so. At the time, the hall’s population had fallen below 30 youth in a 150-bed facility, and juvenile crime had dropped to a 30-year low.

To guide the transition, CJCJ’s Dan Macallair and Dinky Manek Enty were appointed to the Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force, bringing decades of expertise in systems reform and community partnership.

In 2018, Mayor London Breed appointed longtime reform advocate Katherine Miller as Chief Probation Officer and named Margaret Brodkin to the Juvenile Probation Commission, elevating two leaders deeply rooted in youth advocacy.

Under Chief Miller’s direction, the department has strengthened restorative practices and expanded community collaboration. Yet one enduring question remains: can institutions sustain reform without continued community leadership and accountability?

For decades, San Francisco has stood at the forefront of reimagining justice for young people. In a city defined by its progressive spirit, reformers, advocates, and community organizations have replaced punishment with possibility. Among them, CJCJ has been a driving force. We have championed alternatives grounded in compassion, accountability, and opportunity.

Today, San Francisco stands as a beacon of what community-driven juvenile justice reform can achieve. Supported by independent funding, a strong nonprofit infrastructure, and deep collaboration, the city’s juvenile justice system has become a national model.

Looking ahead, CJCJ remains steadfast in its mission to ensure San Francisco continues to lead the nation in building a justice system rooted in dignity and opportunity. This system uplifts youth voices, invests in prevention, and sustains partnerships with our community. CJCJ carries forward a vision of justice that heals rather than harms, one that reflects our belief in the power of people to create lasting change.

• Alameda County Department of Public Health. Public Health Leadership Archives, Chet P. Hewitt tenure (1998 – 2004).
• Brodkin, Margaret. Sandboxes to Ballot Boxes: San Francisco’s Landmark Campaign to Fund Children’s Services. Funding the Next Generation, 2016
• California Judicial Council. Remarks by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye on Collaborative Justice Models (2012 – 2016).
• Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ). Reports and policy briefs on San Francisco and California juvenile justice reform (1986 – 2024): www​.cjcj​.org
• Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. Children’s Fund Implementation Reports.
• U.S. Department of Justice, OJJDP. Evaluation of the Detention Diversion Advocacy Program. Washington, DC.
  
• U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Second Chance Act Juvenile Reentry Demonstration Program Summaries (2008 – 2011).
• Macallair, Dan. After the Doors Were Locked: A History of Youth Corrections in California. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
• San Francisco Superior Court. Jefferson Report on Juvenile Justice Reform. 1986.
• San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Juvenile Hall Closure Legislation and Task Force Proceedings (2019).
• Sierra Health Foundation. Leadership profile: Chet P. Hewitt.