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COVID-19 and the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice System: Recommendations for Supporting Youth and Preventing Future Delinquency.
Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate.
Massachusetts Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board.
State Resource
Technical Report
70 p.
Public Domain
Published: October 2021
Download: https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-and-the-massachusetts-juvenile-justice-system-jjpad-report-october-2021/download
This report focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Massachusetts youth’s current involvement with the juvenile justice system. It explores pandemic-related conditions that have put youth at increased risk of juvenile justice involvement, how child-serving State entities responded to support youth involved in the juvenile justice system, pandemic-inspired changes in policies, practices, and services that should be kept moving forward, and additional actions Massachusetts should take to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on youth and prevent future delinquency. Key data findings during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021) are reported and indicate: there was a 40% decrease in average monthly overnight arrest admissions a 48% decrease in average monthly detention admissions, a 62% decrease in average monthly new Department of Youth Services (DYS) commitments, and Risk/Need and Administrative probation supervision cases dropped 60% and 42% respectively. Risk factors that the COVID-19 pandemic created that increased the risk of future delinquency are described, as well as two overarching factors that contributed to policy and practice silver linings: remote technology and reducing instances of youth in custody. The report closes with recommendations for supporting youth and preventing future delinquency. 12 references.
Keywords:
Massachusetts; Court reform; Juvenile justice services; Juvenile courts; Juvenile delinquency; COVID-19; State disaster response; Prevention; Youth services