Massachusetts law about the juvenile justice system

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Massachusetts laws

Child Requiring Assistance (CRA)

MGL c.119, § 21 Definitions

MGL c.119, §§ 39E-39I Child requiring assistance

 

12 to 18 between 12 and 18 years old

Delinquent children

MGL c.119, §§ 52-74 Juvenile justice for children between 12 and 18. See section 52 for definitions of “delinquent child” and “youthful offender”

MGL c.233, § 20 Except in certain limited circumstances, a parent cannot testify against their minor child

MGL c.276, §§ 100E-100U Lays out requirements for expungement of juvenile records

MGL c.279, § 24 Determination of sentence for (youthful) offender aged 14 through 17

Juvenile Court

Massachusetts Juvenile Court Department

Court rules

Juvenile Court rules and standing orders

Forms

Juvenile Court forms

Selected cases

Selected court cases on the topic of the juvenile justice system and sentencing

Web sources

Child Requiring Assistance cases, Mass. Juvenile Court.
Find out what will happen in court, who may be involved, and what your rights are as a parent, legal guardian, or custodian in a Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) case.

Guide on the disclosure of confidential information: Court information, Mass. Juvenile Court.

Massachusetts juvenile arrest procedures, effective July 13, 2018, Mass. Municipal Police Training Committee.
Arrest, detention, and bail procedures for children 12-18.

Overview of the juvenile justice system, Citizens for Juvenile Justice.
“This overview explores how Massachusetts children enter and exit the juvenile justice system, how they move through it, and how different groups of young people are impacted by the decisions our system makes for them.”

Quick reference on CRA (Child Requiring Assistance), Children's Law Center, June 2017.
A handy guide for child advocates in Massachusetts.

Print sources

Juvenile law, 2^nd Ed. (Mass. Practice v.44-44A), Thomson/West, 2006 with supplements. 

Massachusetts juvenile delinquency and child welfare law sourcebook & citator, MCLE, annual. 

Last updated:	May 22, 2023