Caterina Chinnici was born in Palermo and graduated with a law degree. She was the youngest magistrate in Italy to be appointed head of a Judicial Office. She served as Chief Public Prosecutor at the Juvenile Court of Caltanissetta and, later, at the Juvenile Court of Palermo. She was a Councillor for Family, Social Policies and Local Autonomies for the Sicilian Region Government. In addition, she was a member of the Commission for International Adoptions and the Central Coordination Board for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors. This was part of the Italian Ministry of Interior. In July 2012, she was appointed Head of the Department of Juvenile Justice of the Italian Ministry of Justice. She was elected to the European Parliament in 2014 and re-elected in 2019. During both Parliamentary terms, she has worked in particular on issues regarding the fight against organised crime, frauds and crimes affecting the EU's financial interests. In addition, she has worked on placing children's rights at the heart of EU policies. MEP since 2014.