Inside LA’s Youth Justice Transformation: A Conversation with Judge Espinoza

FEATURING Honorable Miguel Espinoza

Episode Description

In this episode, we welcome the Honorable Miguel Espinoza, Supervising Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, for a conversation about the county’s ongoing work to transform its youth justice system. The National Resource Center team recently completed a year-long Youth Justice System Review in partnership with Los Angeles County and is now supporting the county as it puts the resulting recommendations into practice. In this conversation, our founding Executive Director, John Tuell, speaks with Judge Espinoza about what led the county to pursue a System Review, the key focus areas that emerged from it, and the strengths, challenges, and progress unfolding on the ground. Among the highlights of the discussion is the piloting of a first-of-its-kind Competency Hub Court for young people, one of several innovations reshaping how Los Angeles County approaches youth justice. Tune in to hear firsthand how one of the nation’s largest court systems is translating system review findings into meaningful, lasting change.
SEASON FIVE: Episode Three | RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2026

About the GuesT

Honorable Miguel Espinoza

Supervising Judge, Juvenile Justice Division | Los Angeles County Superior Court

Miguel Espinoza is a judge with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He has served as Supervising Judge of the Juvenile Justice Division since 2023 and presides over a specialty juvenile mental health court in Inglewood. Prior to his appointment, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles. Before becoming an attorney, he worked on a national presidential campaign and served as an aide to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He earned a B.A. in Journalism from U.C. Santa Cruz, a J.D. and M.P.P. from the University of Southern California, and an M.P.A. from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government where he served as a Public Service Fellow. He is the author of a book about affirmative action titled The Integration of the UCLA School of Law, 1966-1978: Architects of Affirmative Action.