This meeting is an open meeting for all Juvenile and Child
Welfare section members. The guest speaker will be Lael Chester, Executive
Director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice. She will be speaking
about the Raising of Age campaign and other proposed legislation.
Justice for Kids
Massachusetts is one of only 12 states that automatically tries and
sentences 17-year-olds accused of crimes as adults. This is true even when their
crimes are minor and non-violent – as the vast majority are.
This policy is bad for the public safety and for our kids. Study after study
has shown that children who are prosecuted in the adult criminal system are more
likely to reoffend and to escalate into more serious and violent crimes than
children who stay in the juvenile system. Furthermore, we know that kids in
adult facilities are at risk for victimization and suicide.
While holding kids accountable, the juvenile system is designed to
rehabilitate. Kids in the system are required to continue their schooling and
participate in other activities designed to get them on the right track, such as
counseling or substance abuse treatment. That’s not always the case in the adult
system. Furthermore, an adult conviction can permanently cut off job and career
opportunities, leaving a person with fewer paths to be a productive member of
the community.
The Justice for Kids Campaign is urging Massachusetts to
raise its age of juvenile jurisdiction to 18 for all but the most serious
crimes.
Lael Elizabeth Hiam Chester became the third Executive Director of
CfJJ in March 2001, following five years of services on CfJJ’s Board of
Directors. Lael is a graduate of Barnard College and Harvard Law School. Her
prior work experience includes both litigating and researching juvenile justice,
criminal justice and civil rights issues. She has held positions as the Albert
Martin Sacks Clinical Fellow at the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law
School and as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights/Civil Liberties
Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. She received the
Jay D. Blitzman Youth Advocacy Award in May 2004 for her extraordinary
commitment to protecting the rights of juveniles as well as the Women of Justice
Award from the Women’s Bar Association and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in
December 2009. In June 2011 the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps
honored her with its Embracing the Legacy award. She currently serves as a
member of the Governor's Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, serves on its
Executive and Grants Review Committees, and chairs its Disproportionate Minority
Contact Subcommittee.
Sponsoring Section: Juvenile and Child Welfare Section