Randy White, Commissioner
On April 1, 2024, Gov. Beshear appointed Randy White as commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Commissioner White brings decades of experience to the department from his service to both the commonwealth and to the nation.
In December 2023, Commissioner White retired from the Department of Corrections after 27 years of service. During his career he served in numerous leadership positions, including deputy commissioner of Adult Institutions, warden of Kentucky State Penitentiary and Green River Correctional Complex, deputy warden of Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, classification and treatment officer, corrections unit manager and procedures/accreditation specialist and correctional officer. Most recently he served as deputy commissioner, a position he held for five and a half years. During that time, Kentucky secured the lowest recidivism rate in state history. He also developed a Narcan program for the Department of Corrections, leading the nation as the first prison system to train staff on how to administer this lifesaving drug to prevent overdose deaths.
Commissioner White also served with the United States Army and the Kentucky Army National Guard, being mobilized on two separate occasions. In January 2005, White was deployed to Iraq and assigned to conduct combat patrols, being designated as a squad leader, supervising nine soldiers. He completed a 12-month tour of duty as a provisional military police squad leader.
As commissioner of juvenile justice, White will prioritize reducing youth crime and recidivism, increasing mental health treatment, enhancing employee training and securing all 27 juvenile facilities to better protect youth and staff, while continuing to implement the administration's aggressive plan to enhance safety in response to violent incidents.
Commissioner White graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in corrections and juvenile services and police administration, and a minor in psychology.