Steve Adami, MPA
"The degree of a civilization can be judged by entering its prisons" Fyodor Dostoevsky
On the 29th of March 2024, I was granted a pardon by Governor Gavin Newsom
ABOUT
On March 29, 2024, I was granted a pardon by Governor Gavin Newsom. After spending over two decades in and out of jails and prison my life changed. My recovery and transformation started in a pair of handcuffs. After being released from prison in 2010, I earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration (Public Policy/Criminal Justice); was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, a National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration; and received the Barbara Jordan Award for Academic Excellence. In 2014 I was hired by the San Francisco Adult Probation Department, where I advanced to Director of the Reentry Division. In this role I managed San Francisco's Reentry Council, Community Corrections Partnership, and designed and implemented a portfolio of 25 million dollars of reentry and recovery services. In May 2023, I was appointed the Executive Director of The Way Out, a recovery-focused homeless initiative of The Salvation Army.
PROFESSIONAL GOALS
My professional goal is to expand opportunities for those who have been marginalized by the juvenile and criminal justice systems, homelessness, and substance use disorders by designing comprehensive reentry programs, community-based alternatives to incarceration, residential treatment facilities and therapeutic communities, and transitional and permanent housing that address systemic barriers and promote long-term recovery and stability.
RESUME/PUBLICATIONS
JUSTICE REFORM & EQUITY
The concepts of social justice and equity are rooted in addressing the needs of the most distressed populations and correcting the systemic disparities that perpetuate cycles of incarceration, homelessness, addiction, and poverty. The value of public policy should be assessed through the equity created in the delivery of public services.
Within the criminal justice, housing, and behavioral health systems, longstanding policies and practices have contributed to disparities that limit access to treatment, stable housing, employment, and pathways to self-sufficiency. Addressing these inequities requires comprehensive, coordinated approaches that prioritize rehabilitation over incarceration, recovery, and housing stability over chronic homelessness.
