Massachusetts Juvenile Justice System of the 1990s: Re- Thinking a National Model

• NCJ Number: 158346
• Author(s): R C Lindsay; W E Warring; J D Blitzman; R J Cinquegrana; S M Coursey; A J DeMarco; J S J Elder
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 31 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reproduction of report prepared by a task force convened by the Boston Bar Association to analyze the current state of Massachusetts' juvenile justice system

Annotation

The Boston Bar Association commissioned a study to analyze recent statutory changes in the Massachusetts juvenile justice system concerning the transfer of juveniles to adult court.

Abstract

The study reviewed the literature on juvenile justice reform throughout the United States, interviewed officials in the executive and legislative branches of Massachusetts, and talked to many individuals involved with juvenile offenders (judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, officials of the Department of Youth Services (DYS), and juvenile offenders themselves). The study looked at the history of the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts and the evolution of due process. Additionally, the study examined how the juvenile correctional system in Massachusetts currently operates, with emphasis on the court process, juvenile probation, juvenile commitment to the DYS, and the classification of serious juvenile offenders. The evolution of juvenile transfer is traced from 1975 to 1991, and a critique of 1990 and 1991 legislative provisions concerning the transfer of juveniles to adult court is presented. Study findings are discussed in terms of the efficiency of the transfer process and balanced punishment for certain offenses. Statutory provisions on the transfer of juveniles to adult court and demographic information on the juvenile correctional system in Massachusetts are appended. 42 footnotes