DA DELIVERS FOR SALVATION ARMY, AT-RISK YOUTH Oct. 2, 2009 Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley this week delivered $5,000 in seized drug money to a Salvation Army program that works to end recidivism among young, first-time offenders in the South End and Lower Roxbury. Conley presented the check on Sept. 29 to the Salvation Army of Massachusetts, with the funds earmarked for a Boston branch of its successful Bridging the Gap program. The program, already active in nine other Massachusetts locations, serves court-involved and at-risk teens with life-skills training, intervention and prevention, and interagency partnerships. “Bridging the Gap provides the skills, support, and stability that can keep first-time offenders from re-entering the criminal justice system,” Conley said. “We want to make sure that a young person’s first court appearance is also his or her last.” Tuesday’s check presentation was the most recent of an annual series of free cash giveaways to Suffolk County non-profit organizations that keep young people away from drugs, gangs, and crime. The funds are drawn from Conley’s Asset Forfeiture Reinvestment Program and reflect a portion of drug dealers’ cash and assets seized by his office, State Police, and local law enforcement agencies during the past year. Massachusetts law allows up to 10% of those monies to be redistributed to non-profit community groups within the district attorney’s jurisdiction. This year’s awards total $50,000, or $32,500 more than the funds distributed in the first round of reinvestment grants 17 years ago. The program has been in existence since 1992, when the awards totaled $17,500. The annual grant application is available in June and awards are distributed to eligible groups in the fall. Return to the Press Releases page.