The AGO Youth Diversion Program, created in response to the 2024 Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, requires diversion for youth under age 18 charged with possessing, receiving, purchasing, or sharing sexually explicit images of another minor via cell phone or other technology. The Program is further available to District Attorneys and Juvenile Courts on a discretionary basis for other related offenses. The Program informs youth about the legal and social implications of sharing nude or sexually explicit digital images and teaches them practices for responsible decision-making online.
The Office of the Attorney General (AGO) is developing the Program in close partnership with the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) and the Department of Youth Services (DYS). The Program also reflects ongoing input and feedback from the following stakeholder agencies and organizations: the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association; the Committee for Public Counsel Services; the Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Youth; Jane Doe Inc.; and the Massachusetts Society for a World Free of Sexual Harm by Youth (MASOC). The AGO joins the eleven divisions of the Juvenile Court and District Attorneys’ Offices in supporting eligible youth to complete in this Program in order to increase positive outcomes and reduce youth involvement in the criminal justice system. Instead of relying on a punitive approach, the Program provides an educational process that aims to inform decision making and promote healthy sexuality and safe technology use among youth.
