CJCJ and San Francisco State University have built the California State University system’s first-ever Minor in Juvenile Justice — a groundbreaking academic program that turns reform knowledge into the next generation of leaders.
The Partnership: Where reform expertise meets academic rigor
CJCJ is proud to partner with San Francisco State University in preparing the next generation of juvenile justice leaders. Working collaboratively with SFSU’s Department of Criminal Justice Studies, CJCJ helped develop the California State University system’s first-ever Minor in Juvenile Justice — a groundbreaking academic program that strengthens pathways into youth justice reform, policy work, and community advocacy.
SFSU’s Criminal Justice Studies Department is widely recognized as one of the most dynamic and innovative programs in the country, shaped by the forward-thinking leadership of Elizabeth Brown, PhD — now Associate Dean of the College of Health and Social Sciences and a CJCJ board member — and guided today by current director Carina Gallo, PhD.
This partnership is the first time any CSU institution has offered a dedicated minor in juvenile justice. It connects CJCJ’s four decades of field experience directly to academic training — bridging the gap between research and practice. Students are grounded not just in theory, but in the realities of today’s reform landscape, policy debates, and community-based alternatives. The partnership also builds a pipeline of knowledgeable, reform-oriented leaders entering youth justice, policy, and advocacy careers.
The Juvenile Justice Minor: A Transformative Academic Pathway
The Minor in Juvenile Justice offers students a deep, interdisciplinary exploration of youth justice systems through historical, legal, and policy-based perspectives — with rigorous attention to evidence, equity, and the structural forces that drive both harm and reform.
- Foundational study of juvenile law, history, and policy development. The legal and historical architecture of juvenile justice — from the first reform schools to contemporary realignment — examined as a living policy system.
- Community-based alternatives & intervention. Evidence-informed strategies for diversion, prevention, and reentry — drawing directly on CJCJ’s program models and national research.
- Applied research & policy analysis. Hands-on development of the analytical skills students need to evaluate policy, interpret data, and contribute to reform debates.
- Youth incarceration & reform movements. Critical examination of how confinement became the default response to youth crime — and how sustained advocacy has begun to change that.
- Racial, socioeconomic & structural equity. Analysis of how race, poverty, and systemic inequality shape who enters the justice system — and what reform must address to be genuine.
- Community-engaged learning. Direct engagement with communities, organizations, and systems — learning reform by participating in it, not just studying it from a distance.
In the Classroom: CJCJ’s Expertise, Taught Directly
CJCJ’s Executive Director Daniel Macallair — a longtime member of the SFSU faculty — helped design the minor and continues to teach several of its core and specialized courses as Practitioner-in-Residence. Through these courses, Macallair brings contemporary policy debates, historical context, and decades of applied field experience directly into the classroom.
- Juvenile Justice
- Intervention Policies in Juvenile Justice
- Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice
- The California Corrections System
- Community Corrections and Sentencing
People Behind the Partnership
Daniel Macallair
Executive Director, CJCJ · Practitioner-in-Residence, SFSU
A longtime SFSU faculty member, Macallair helped design the Juvenile Justice Minor and teaches five of its courses. He brings four decades of CJCJ research, legislative advocacy, and reform experience — including his roles in California’s realignment, the Little Hoover Commission, and the SF Board of Supervisors’ juvenile justice task force, where he was specifically selected as the city’s expert on juvenile justice reform.
Elizabeth Brown, PhD
Associate Dean, College of Health & Social Sciences, SFSU · CJCJ Board Member
Whose forward-thinking leadership as former department director shaped SFSU’s Criminal Justice Studies program into one of the most dynamic in the country. As a CJCJ board member, she uniquely bridges the organization’s reform mission and SFSU’s academic excellence.
CJCJ Policy Team
Research & Curriculum Contribution
CJCJ’s policy team contributed critical research, policy expertise, and curriculum guidance to ensure the program reflects current system challenges, reform opportunities, and best practices in youth justice. The partnership is institutional — connecting CJCJ’s ongoing work to SFSU’s academic mission at every level.
Carina Gallo, PhD
Director, SFSU Criminal Justice Studies
Guiding the department today with the same commitment to rigorous, justice-centered education — ensuring the Juvenile Justice Minor remains connected to real reform practice.