Frankie Guzman

Francis (“Frankie”) V. Guzman is a youth justice policy attorney and Director of the Youth Justice Initiative at the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland, California. Frankie works to eliminate the practice of prosecuting and incarcerating children in California’s adult criminal justice system, reduce incarceration and justice system involvement, and increase developmentally appropriate services for youth in communities statewide.

At age 15, he was arrested for armed robbery and, on his first offense, was sentenced to serve 15 years in the California Youth Authority. Released on parole after serving six years, Frankie enrolled in Oxnard College and transferred to UC Berkeley where he earned a BA in English. Frankie graduated from UCLA School of Law and became an expert in juvenile law and policy with a focus on ending the prosecution of youth as adults.

Through partnerships with public agencies, community organizations, and advocacy groups, Guzman has helped lead California’s effort to dramatically reduce the number of youth prosecuted as adults and serving time in adult prisons, reduce the number of youth incarcerated and involved in the juvenile justice system, and increase funds and resources for community-based services for youth statewide.