Center for Youth Studies

Adam Yen, "Massachusetts Juvenile Delinquency Statistics And the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services," CYS

OVERVIEW

The purpose of this research is to better understand the current trends and population of the youths residing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department Youth Services. This data can be used in part with other sources to assess the needs and effectiveness of the overall philosophy and strategy of the juvenile justice system in the Commonwealth. The focus of this research is on youth reentry from DYS to the general public and recidivism.

The following is a brief background of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. The first law to address juvenile delinquency was enacted in 1906 and it formed the juvenile court system. Before this law the state handled children charged with crimes in much the same ways they handled any adult defendant unless the offender was under the age of seven. In 1969, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law forming the Department of Youth Services (hereafter referred to as DYS), the juvenile justice system for the state. It's purpose is to “protect the public and prevent crime by promoting positive change in the lives of youth committed to DYS custody, and by partnering with communities, families and government and provider agencies toward this end.” DYS staff are trained to accomplish these purposes “through interventions that build knowledge, develop skills and change the behavior of youth in its care.”

Juveniles who are committed to DYS remain under DYS supervision until their 18th birthday. Juvenile commitments are those who are found delinquent by the court. There are also a small number of individuals under the age of 18 who are deemed by the court as "youthful offenders" and pose a high risk of danger to the community. These "youthful offenders" are under the custody of DYS until their 21st birthday.

Most DYS juveniles and youthful offenders do not reside in one centralized facility throughout the commitment period. Rather they are assessed for risks and needs after adjudication and assigned to an appropriate residential facility. DYS then releases juveniles from the residential facilities to the community and supervises them while there.

DESIGN

All of the data summarized in this research is taken from the DYS public information packet, the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center, and research conducted by the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission. The data is taken from the years 2000 to 2009.

FINDINGS

DYS operates thirty-six community-based programs, twenty-eight community reentry centers and eight neighborhood centers in communities with the highest populations of DYS youth. Its philosophy and goal is to provide education, job training, and employment programming with an effort to reduce recidivism by youth returning to the community. The current 2009 budget of DYS is $158M with majority of the funds allocated to Residential Services. It has 900 full time staff.

Admissions and General Population:¹

• As of 2009, DYS has 1637 commitments (approximately 8% of the total number of juveniles arraigned in juvenile court on delinquency charges).

• 194 of these youth were adjudicated delinquent and were committed as youthful offenders until their 21st birthday.

• 43% of the population were committed by the courts on a violent offense against another person.

• Majority makeup of this population consist of 85.4% males and 14.5% females, 16 years old, and 34% Caucasian, 29% African American, 28% Hispanic, 3% Asian, and 6% other.

• Average age at time of initial commitment to DYS is 15 years and 6 months

• The population of juveniles committed to the Department of Youth Services has decreased from 2,950 to 1,637 since 1999 (a decrease of 45%).

• The overall population decrease was fueled by a decrease in juvenile crime nationally and a decrease in the number of juveniles newly committed to DYS by the courts of the Commonwealth.

A DYS client is released to the community after his or her 18th birthday, and youthful offenders (again, those who are deemed by the court to pose a high risk to the community) on their 21st birthday. However the agency still has authority to maintain supervision and sometimes physical custody of the client. Also, DYS defines recidivism as arrest and conviction in the adult system. The most recent and available discharge and recidivism rate data is from 2000-2002.

Release and Recidivism Rate:

• In 2000, there were 1,234 DYS clients released to the community²

• In 2000, from DYS sample of discharges, there was a 58% rate of adult arraignment, 28.6% conviction rate, and 21.4% rate of incarceration (29.7% in 1993).

• In 2000, MDOC (Mass Department of Correction) reported 23.5% released adult offenders who had past juvenile adjudications had a higher recidivism rate (60.8%) than a non-adjudicated defender³

• In 2002, 1,842 DYS clients were released to the community.

• The majority (86%) of released juveniles were male. One half of the juveniles released were white, 28% were African American, 4% were Asian Pacific Islanders, and 18%. Nearly one-third (29%) were of Hispanic descent.

• The average age of juveniles released in 2002 was 16. The vast majority (93%) of juveniles released in 2002 were 17 years old or younger (figure 24).

• 40% of the juveniles released in 2002 were person offense type.

• In 2002, Suffolk County has the highest concentration of juveniles released from DYS custody, with Worcester having the second highest. 40% of juveniles released came from these two counties.⁴

  
  

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What are the major risk factors for youths that are released back to their inner-city communities?

2. What do you think are the causes of recidivism among DYS clients?

3. What programs and services are being offered to address the type of offenses committed by these youths?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Massachusetts shows a similar decline in trend with the rest of the nation of juvenile delinquents being committed. However the recidivism rate has not decline as much, from 29.7% in 1993 to 21.4% in 2000. With enormous amount of funding spent each year in detention and residential programs offered by DYS, it's important that release and recidivism data is offered to the general public in reviewing the effectiveness of the agency's services and outside programs.. An arrest of a released DYS client means more money is spent on incarceration in the Massachusetts Adult Correction System. The MA Commission on Sentencing has reported that in 2002, offenders age 18-24 has the highest recidivism rate (58%) than of any other age group in the MDOC when released.

2. Also, it is vital to note the majority offense type of these youths who are being released relates to violence against another person. This points to the emphasis of violence prevention and rehabilitation programs that need to be constantly evaluated. Issue of public safety is another major concern for communities that receive these DYS clients. In the ideal world, there should be no recidivism and all juvenile released clients would assimilate back into society as proper law-abiding citizens.

Adam Yen, cCYS