Press Release - August 16, 2002
Office of the Commissioner of Probation

SUFFOLK JUVENILE CHIEF P.O. REFLECTS ON
50-YEAR CAREER WORKING WITH CHILDREN

When Joe O’Reilly first began working for the Massachusetts Probation Service as a Juvenile Probation Officer close to 50 years ago, the most common offenses committed by the youngsters he monitored included hopping on street cars without paying a fare, gambling, playing ball in the street and shining shoes or selling papers without a permit.

“I would suggest that if any of these charges were brought before the court today, they would be thrown out,” said O’Reilly with a wry smile.

Although the world has certainly changed, O’Reilly’s dedication to young people and the Massachusetts Probation Service have not. Despite his recent retirement, O’Reilly is as busy as he was when he ran the very hectic Suffolk Juvenile Court Probation Department. Suffolk has the distinction of having been the first juvenile court in the nation.

O’Reilly recently took on a new assignment in his retirement. He represented the Commissioner of Probation John J. O’Brien on the Massachusetts Trial Court’s Budget Committee.

“We are looking at ways to save jobs,” said O’Reilly, who is one of 11 committee members.

As a Probation Officer, Assistant Chief, First Assistant Chief Probation Officer and Chief Probation Officer, O’Reilly has worked with hundreds of Boston-area juveniles and their families. He often runs into men and women who wound up in his office as children. Many have taken the lessons they have learned from him and used them well in their adult lives. He counts firefighters, police, and businessmen among his former charges.

O’Reilly, who officially retired in May, has seen a lot of changes in the juvenile court over the years.

“It has grown leaps and bounds. There are associate Probation Officers who are available to do the administrative work and free up Probation Officers to go out into the neighborhoods. There is ELMO (the Electronic Monitoring Program),” O’Reilly said.

He started as a Probation Officer in November of 1954. At the time, he was a Parole Officer for the Department of Youth Services. He worked as an Assistant Chief and First Assistant Chief Probation Officer before being named Chief Probation Officer in 1985.

“I enjoy working with children. They are malleable and you can make a difference in their lives. You see the results. And, young people appreciate it when they deal with someone whom they can trust,” said O’Reilly.

O’Reilly added, “The bottom line for most children is reading. If a child can read, they have a good sense about themselves. It is easier to work with them and get good results. If they can’t read, it presents a problem. Children learn to read in grades one through three and read to learn in grades four through 12. School is an absolute vital part of the equation.”

Troubled children, who wind up in the court system, are easy to spot, he said. “It starts in first, second and third grade. These are the children who come to school dirty, disheveled, half asleep and acting out. If we do not address these problems now, we will have to later.”

Families have bigger challenges now, O’Reilly said. “There are parents who are trying very hard. But, they can’t be at two places at once. They have to work, pay the rent. Everyone wants their kids to go to Harvard.”

O’Reilly said working in the Juvenile Court is the most challenging. He advises those who are considering a career that involves working with children to work extra hard and to stay abreast of information about young people.

“When a parent brings a child to court, they know that this is not a tourist stop. Probation provides a service. And the service of the Juvenile Court is to help children and families improve their lives and prepare for the future,” he said.