Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice
District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's Juvenile Justice Program is intended to balance strong prosecution with appropriate prevention services, thereby providing an effective response to juvenile crime in Essex County. Juvenile Justice Units are well established in all Essex County Juvenile and District Courts, reviewing all juvenile cases for appropriate placement from Juvenile Diversion to prosecution. The Juvenile Justice Unit develops a variety of Juvenile Prevention Programs and offers trainings for schools, police, and other professionals who work with youth.
Juvenile Diversion Program
The Juvenile Diversion Program is an innovative model which works with certain first-time, nonviolent offenders, ages 7-17, and their families by offering an alternative to the Juvenile Court System. The Juvenile Diversion Program is based on the widely accepted belief that not all cases are best handled through a formal delinquency complaint and court hearing. One of the key advantages of the Juvenile Diversion Program is that it allows judges and prosecutors to focus on more serious juvenile crime by diverting first-time, nonviolent offenders from the court system and providing them and their families with needed services.
The Program provides participants the opportunity to receive services in lieu of going through the traditional court process. Participants sign a contract wherein they agree to participate in counseling or an educational group, perform community service, and in some cases, pay restitution. Participants are then referred to counseling agencies where they undergo an assessment to determine if either individual or group counseling sessions are appropriate. Conflict resolution, violence prevention, peer pressure and high risk activities, such as alcohol, tobacco and other drug use are discussed in counseling and educational groups. All Juvenile Diversion cases are closely monitored through contact with the counseling agency, community service site supervisor and the juvenile and family. If the juvenile successfully completes the Program, the District Attorney does not prosecute the case, and there is no court record of the offense. Juveniles who fail to complete the Program successfully are prosecuted.
Youthful Diversion Program
The Youthful Diversion Program was created in response to widespread concern about the effects of underage substance abuse. Substance abuse in general and alcohol abuse in particular have been shown to increase the likelihood that a young person will engage in criminal activity or become a victim. The goal of the Youthful Diversion Program is to significantly reduce alcohol- and drug-related incidents through education and enhancement of decision-making skills. Based on the Juvenile Diversion Program model, the Youthful Diversion Program serves first-time offenders between the ages of 17-21 charged with certain minor substance abuse offenses. Like the Juvenile Diversion Program, the Youthful Diversion Program works early and intensively with the causes of juvenile/youth crime by intervening the first time a youth engages in criminal activity.
Community Collaborative Initiative (CCI)
Reducing youth violence and crime requires a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and coordinated approach which views prevention and early intervention as critical components. Since no single entity is capable of achieving the goal of creating safe schools and neighborhoods, Massachusetts General Law Ch. 12, Sec. 32 requires District Attorneys to establish, implement and coordinate a partnership of police, schools and community leaders to address the issue of youth violence. A key part of the coordinated effort is the ability of schools, law enforcement officials, and youth services providers who are mandated to provide assessment, intervention, and treatment services to share information. Community-based collaboration is the key element in this mandate.