Source: https://www.arnellaw.com/FAQ/Juvenile-FAQ.shtml
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 12:33:12
Document Index: 97132326

Matched Legal Cases: ['§52', '§55', '§1417', '§65', '§100', '§100']

Juvenile FAQ - Law Firm Law Office of Philip L. Arnel Attorneys Dedham/Westwood, Massachusetts
A. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 119, §52 confers delinquency jurisdiction on the Division of Juvenile Court Department for children between the ages of seven and seventeen who are accused of violations of a city ordinance or municipal or state law. Therefore, complaints for crimes committed by youths under the age of seventeen are typically prosecuted in the juvenile court system and juvenile sentencing will apply. Complaints for crimes committed by those ages seventeen and over are prosecuted in the adult session.
The juvenile court additionally has jurisdiction of children who attain their seventeenth or eighteenth birthdays and (a) have their cases pending adjudication, (b) have their appeals pending hearing and determination, (c) during continuances, (d) during probation and (e) after a case is placed on file. Juvenile court jurisdiction is also conferred on children who are accused of committing an offense prior to their seventeenth birthday and are not apprehended until between their seventeenth and eighteenth birthday; children who are accused of committing an offense prior to their seventeenth birthday and are not apprehended until after their eighteenth birthday; and, juveniles between the ages of fourteen and seventeen who are indicted as youthful offenders. The juvenile court jurisdiction in youthful offender cases extends to age twenty-one for sentencing purposes; for example, a juvenile can be committed to the Department of Youth Services (F"DYS") up to age twenty-one.
A. The Department of Youth Services is the juvenile justice agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the nation's first juvenile correctional system. DYS operates numerous programs and provides many services including, but not limited to, clinical and support services, health services, victim services, community services, delinquency prevention, substance abuse, legal issues education, job training and employment services. DYS also operates numerous facilities ranging from staff secure group homes to highly secure locked units. The stated goal of DYS is to protect the public and prevent crime by promoting positive change in the youth committed to its care and custody. DYS works with various entities including, but not limited to, provider agencies, police, schools, families, and communities. For further information, please visit the DYS website at http://www.mass.gov/dys/.
A. The Department of Children and Families (formerly known as the Department of Social Services, or DSS) is a 24-hour-a-day agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that protects children from child abuse and neglect. The DCF reviews and investigates reports and will intervene when children are allegedly abused or neglected to provide for their safety, permanency and well being. The DCF mission is dedicated to acting in the children's best interest. The DCF provides substitute care and purports to keep families intact whereas it typically first looks to reunify children and parents whenever possible and appropriate. The DCF will seek to implement another permanent plan, such as adoption, guardianship or independent living, in situations where reunification is not feasible.
DCF has six regional offices and twenty-six area offices across Massachusetts. For further information, please visit the DCF website at http://www.mass.gov/dss/
There can also be differences in the manner of sentencing. A court can impose either a juvenile or adult sentence on a youthful offender, or it can impose a combination of the two. Whereas the juvenile court has no jurisdiction of a juvenile delinquent beyond the age of eighteen, it retains jurisdiction over youthful offenders up to age twenty-one for sentencing purposes.
A. Yes. Juveniles who exercise their right to a jury trial pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 119, §§55A, 56 are entitled to six person jury trials, with a right to a twelve person jury trial if the case results in a youthful offender indictment.
Special considerations must be afforded to juveniles when waiving Miranda. One such consideration is the Interested Adult Rule. An interested adult is someone with a relationship with the juvenile who is sufficiently interested in the juvenile's welfare to afford the juvenile appropriate protection. The adult must be informed of the rights and understand them. An interested adult does not have to act as a defense attorney but rather must have the capacity to appreciate the juvenile's situation and to give advice. An interested adult can be, amongst others, a parent, sibling, relative or neighbor. On the other hand, a sibling who is a minor, a DYS worker, or a co-defendant's relative who was at the alleged crime scene would not be an interested adult. The purpose of the rule is that most children do not understand the significance and protective function of Miranda and frequently lack the capacity to appreciate the consequences of their actions.
The distinction between juveniles under the age of fourteen versus those over fourteen is critical. Added protection is provided to juveniles under the age of fourteen in that a knowing and intelligent waiver can only be effective if a parent or interested adult was present and had the opportunity to explain the rights to the juvenile so that the juvenile understands the significance of waiving these rights. In cases of children who have reached the age of fourteen, there should ordinarily be a "meaningful consultation" with a parent, interested adult or attorney. However, the waiver may be valid without such consultation if the circumstances demonstrate that the juvenile possessed a high degree of intelligence, experience, knowledge or sophistication.
A. Yes, with a caveat. Schools are increasingly taking a punitive approach toward students that infringes upon their constitutional rights. School searches can be embarrassing to students and may significantly invade their privacy. In this post-Columbine era, it has been arguably difficult for school administrators to balance school safety with a student's right to privacy, that is, to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
A. No. Individuals with Disabilities Act ("IDEA") is a federal grant program intended to "ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs." As a condition of funding, the state agrees to comply with the substantive and procedural provisions of IDEA. The analogous Massachusetts statute is General Laws Chapter 71B.
Behavioral problems may constitute a disability under IDEA but they are not a ground for a motion to dismiss. IDEA does not prohibit a school from reporting a crime committed by a child with a disability to appropriate authorities or to prevent law enforcement or judicial authorities from exercising their responsibilities with regard to crimes committed by a child with a disability. A court may properly deny a juvenile defendant's motion to dismiss based on the school's alleged lack of compliance with IDEA. It is noted that school records are subject to privacy rights and an agency reporting a crime under IDEA §1417 may transmit copies of the child's special education and disciplinary records only to the extent that the transmission is permitted by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. That statute and its regulations, in turn, set out detailed controls on third party access to educational records.
A. No. Massachusetts has enacted laws designed to protect the confidentiality of juvenile court proceedings and explicitly protect juvenile probation records that are maintained by both the court and probation department. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 119, §65 provides that juvenile proceedings are not accessible to the public, except for certain youthful offender proceedings. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 276, §100 provides that probation department records are not accessible to the public. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 276, §100A more so speaks as to juvenile records and provides that the general public must be told that "no record exists." Therefore, any employment applicant may answer "no record" with respect to inquiries relative to prior juvenile arrests, juvenile court appearances and delinquency adjudications, or as a child in need of services ("CHINS").