NCJ Number
158356
Journal
New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1995) Pages: 575-603
Date Published
1995
Length
29 pages
Annotation
Although the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) is dedicated to helping youth choose productive lives and to assuring public safety, the DYS has encountered problems related to budget cuts, overcrowding, and increasingly violent juvenile offenders.
Abstract
To correct some of the problems, arguments are made for and against changing the system of committing, sentencing, and releasing juvenile delinquents to give the judiciary more control. A brief history of the Massachusetts juvenile code and the creation of the DYS is presented. The existing juvenile justice system is discussed through an overview of applicable statutes. Current issues facing society with respect to juvenile crime and the new emphasis on punishment and accountability are examined. The author concludes that updating the juvenile justice system requires realigning the roles of the juvenile court and the DYS and that judges should be given the authority to impose determinate sentences on juvenile delinquents. 203 footnotes