News  State Representative Chynah Tyler addresses CHOICE Program graduates at BMC-Roxbury

State Representative Chynah Tyler recently addressed graduates of the CHOICE Program at the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court where her interest in advocacy and criminal justice were piqued as a court intern.

The CHOICE Program, an initiative for emerging adults-ages 18-25, hosted a graduation on June 5th. CHOICE is an 18-month program which was created to reduce recidivism among youthful offenders who are now referred to as emerging adults.

“My days as an intern at BMC-Roxbury gave me firsthand experience of how the court system impacts the lives of so many people. That experience influenced the work I do today, including passing legislation that improves the lives of court-involved young adults,” said State Representative Tyler.

Ms. Tyler is a former BMC-Roxbury intern who worked alongside Edith Alexander, a former BMC-Roxbury Probation Officer, who helped launch the CHOICE Program and managed it until she was appointed to the Massachusetts Parole Board. Ms. Alexander passed the torch onto BMC-Roxbury Probation Officer Lynnette Littles who now oversees the program.

“We are excited to have Ms. Tyler attend. She has worked with emerging adults in the program and understands their needs and the positive impact of the CHOICE Program,” said Mrs. Littles.

The Program also featured a CHOICE graduate and recent Tufts University graduate David Delvalle, who also addressed the CHOICE participants. Mr. Delvalle is an educator, community advocate, and criminal justice reform leader at Tufts University, where he serves as the Education and Reentry Director for the Tufts University Prison Initiative.

Mr. Delvalle has dedicated his career to supporting justice-impacted youth and formerly incarcerated individuals through education, mentorship, civic engagement, and reentry support. His work has included leadership and community programming at Haley House which focuses on food justice, healing, and opportunity creation, as well as public speaking and advocacy centered on second chances, educational access, and systems change.