Alissa Riker

Alissa Riker joined the Sheriff’s Office as Director of Programs in 2013, bringing more than 25 years experience and expertise advancing reform in San Francisco’s criminal justice system. 

Her empathetic and visionary approach has helped shape case management practices for pretrial and reentry individuals, including the unsheltered homeless population.

At the Sheriff’s Office, Ms. Riker manages a team of rehabilitation service coordinators who deliver services and group support for people in alternatives to incarceration, in-custody interventions and post-release reentry.

Ms. Riker advocates for and secures increased services to support people both in and out of custody, helping to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes. Her work includes partnerships with the San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco City College, and SPCA. Other notable achievements include:

• Overseeing the Public Safety Assessment implementation in 2016, which measures individual risk factors, helping judges determine if a person should be released from jail before trial;  
• Creating a case management program for incarcerated survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking; 
• Securing a Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant to fund the City’s Misdemeanor Behavioral Health Court and support the housing needs of people being released from jail.

Ms. Riker has burnished her credentials writing for publications and speaking in public forums about criminal justice issues. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1986.