DYS Project

     In 2005, MHLAC created the (Department of Youth Services) DYS Project to provide legal information, advice, and representation to DYS-involved youth, their families, and advocates. The Project provides legal representation on civil matters to post-dispositional DYS-involved youth with a focus on access to quality mental health care and special education services for those confined or in the community.

     By bringing cases to the attention of appropriate agencies, we strive to ensure that Massachusetts is at the forefront of best practices in mental health and education service delivery.

How does MHLAC help DYS-involved youth?

     We provide information and representation in the following areas:

         Appropriate placement
         Education
         Mental health assessment and care
         Rights in facilities
         Restraint
         Transition to the community
         Treatment planning

For questions regarding the DYS Project please contact:

Claire Bolton, AmeriCorps Legal Assistant

617-338-2345 ext. 24

800-342-9092 ext. 24

cbolton@mhlac.org

      This website contains research supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service under an AmeriCorps Grant. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of, or a position that is endorsed by, the Corporation or the AmeriCorps Program.

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DYS Resources

      You may want to check out the following websites, which may provide further advice or assistance related to the juvenile justice system and the Department of Youth Services:

      Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ):  CfJJ is an independent, non-profit, public policy advocacy organization working to improve the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts. CfJJ advocates, convenes, conducts research, and educate the public on important juvenile justice issues. CfJJ hosts juvenile justice forums on hot topics and trends in the juvenile justice system that are free and open to the public. CfJJ has information on their web site about the Massachusetts juvenile justice system.

      Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (CLUM):  CLUM works on issues of juvenile justice, including efforts to remedy or eliminate school policies that disproportionately exclude students of color from the Massachusetts school system by channeling them into the juvenile justice system. CLUM also works to redress the over-representation of minority youth at every point of the juvenile justice system.

      Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard University School of Law:  Harvard Law School students, supervised by Criminal Justice Institute attorneys, represent both adults and juveniles on a variety of matters from misdemeanors to felonies. The clinic services Dorchester Juvenile & Roxbury District Courts.

      EdLaw Project:  An advocacy organization, jointly operated by the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts, Inc. (CLC) and the Youth Advocacy Project (YAP), working to ensure the rights of Boston youth to a quality education. Provides legal representation for children facing expulsions, suspensions or disciplinary proceedings, or in matters concerning special education. To be eligible for legal services, the youth must reside in Boston and meet legal services income guidelines. The EdLaw Project has a special focus on advocacy for court-involved youth.

       Equity Project  The Equity Project is an initiative to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in juvenile delinquency courts are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. The Equity Project examines issues that impact LGBT youth during the entire delinquency process, ranging from arrest through post-disposition.

      Family Support Line (FSL):  A project of Parents for Residential Reform (PFRR) and DYS, the FSL provides information and support to parents/legal guardians about the DYS system and the processes in which the parents/ legal guardians and their children are involved. The FSL can refer parents to appropriate contacts within DYS in order to ensure that their children’s needs are met. The FSL seeks to open the lines of communication between the parents/legal guardians of youth involved with DYS and the system itself.

      Juvenile Defense Network (JDN):  JDN is a training and support project to aide juvenile defense lawyers in Massachusetts who represent children in delinquency and youthful offender cases. JDN is an initiative of the Youth Advocacy Project.

      Juvenile Justice Center of Suffolk University Law School:  The clinic serves the Boston Juvenile Court, South Boston and West Roxbury, using law students to represent juveniles charged with crimes. Staff attorneys and clinical supervisors help in the defense of clients.

      Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project at Boston College School of Law:  The Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project specializes in cross-system representation of girls involved in the juvenile justice system. The project serves the Roxbury and Dorchester areas, as well as Lowell.

      Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC):  Massachusetts Advocates for Children, formerly Massachusetts Advocacy Center, is a private non-profit organization advocating for children who face barriers to equal educational and life opportunities. MAC’s Children’s Law Support Project (CLSP) pursues legal needs of Massachusetts’ low income children. MAC accepts calls from families seeking advice, information or representation on concerns related to special education, school exclusions (suspensions or expulsions), the needs of children exposed to family violence, schooling disrupted by homelessness, autism, and MCAS.

      Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services (MCLS):  MCLS is an independent state agency that provides civil legal services to people in Massachusetts prisons and jails including youthful offenders sentenced to prison or jail. The office does not provide criminal defense services. MCLS is particularly concerned with health and mental health care, guard-on-prisoner violence, physical conditions of confinement, and segregation and isolation.

      National Juvenile Justice Network:  This organization helps state juvenile justice coalitions to advocate for fair, equitable and developmentally appropriate adjudication and treatment for all youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system.

      Parent Professional Advocacy League (PAL):  PAL is the statewide organization of the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. PAL provides support, education, and advocacy around issues related to children’s mental health.

      Youth Advocacy Project (YAP) of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS):  YAP, located in Roxbury, is a unit of the state public defender agency (CPCS). YAP provides lawyers to represent juveniles in delinquency and youthful offender cases. The project also offers social service needs and psychological assessments, as well as case management and referrals to community services. YAP takes cases out of Suffolk County (usually Dorchester and Boston juvenile courts and sometimes the West Roxbury juvenile court) and out of the Worcester juvenile court. YAP produces Community Notebooks, a resource for youth in the juvenile justice system, available on the YAP web site.