Press Release - February 6, 2003
Office of the Commissioner of Probation

SUFFOLK JUVENILE PROBATION'S CASA PROGRAM
WILL HOST NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR ADVOCATES
OF ABUSED AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN

          The Boston CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) Program, a division of the Suffolk Juvenile Court Probation Department, will host a national conference that is expected to draw 1,400 advocates for abused and neglected children from around the country to the Bay State this spring.

         “Celebrate the Child,” the 22nd Annual National CASA Association Conference, will convene at the Sheraton Boston Hotel from March 29th to April 1. CASA volunteers help children navigate the court system and work with social service agencies to ensure that they are living in a safe and healthy environment and are receiving proper medical attention if needed. CASA volunteers are each given no more than one case to manage.

          Court TV Personality and Atlanta Judge Honorable Glenda Hackett, who serves as the national spokesperson for CASA, and former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elder will speak at the conference. Also addressing the conference will be Second Deputy Commissioner Liz Tavares of the Massachusetts Office of the Commissioner of Probation.

          “We are really excited about Boston being the site of the national conference. I am hoping that the conference will draw attention to the plight of the hundreds of abused and neglected children who find themselves involved with the courts through no fault of their own,” said Susan Conrad, a Suffolk County Juvenile Probation Officer and CASA director.

          Conrad added, “CASA volunteers are a very special group of individuals who spend their time advocating for abused and neglected children. The conference will highlight the importance of offering hope to children and also enable current advocates to hone their skills and develop new ones.”

          The Boston CASA program of the Suffolk Juvenile Probation Department was launched in 1982 by the Honorable Francis G. Poitrast, Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court Department and Presiding judge of the Boston division.

          The Massachusetts Probation Service is a department of the Massachusetts Trial Court. There are 12 Superior Court, 70 District Court and 12 Probate & Family Court probation offices throughout the Commonwealth. Probation’s Juvenile Court system includes 11 divisions which represent every county in the state. The Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP) serves as the central administrative office for the state Probation Service and the Office of Community Corrections which operates 22 Community Corrections Centers throughout the state.