Law Juvenile Justice Reform Massachusetts Juvenile Justice Reform: A Step in the Wrong Direction Juvenile Justice THESIS STATEMENT: The Great and General Court of Massachusetts has erred in reforming the juvenile justice system by implementing policies and procedures that will harm juveniles and place society at risk. On July 23, 1995, an intruder brutally attacked and stabbed Janet Downing approximately 100 times in her Somerville home. The revolting Downing murder and ensuing arrest of Edward O'Brien Jr., a 15…showed first 75 words of 3470 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3470 total…decreasing over time. In the first three months of the law’s application 49 youths were indicted in late 1996. In 1997, 234 youths were indicted, but in 1998 only 89 had been indicted as of September, indicating a 50% drop in youth indictments for 1998 if current trends continue. WBUR’s coverage of the forum included a live interview with panelist Steve Weymouth. Margot Hutchings, CJJ intern and student at Boston University’s School of Communications, contributed to this report. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**