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Section 35
"Not only is that detrimental to the emotional well-being of
the family, it's hard on court personnel trying to deal with the
influx of people requesting Section 35 commitment. The law needs to
be updated."
MBA Chief Legal Counsel and
Chief Operating Officer Martin W. Healy, Salem News, October 7
Healy was quoted in an article on a state law known as Section
35, which allows family members to ask a court to force other
family members into treatment for drug or alcohol abuse.
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Philip Chism trial
"None of
it means he will get paroled. But he will come before a parole
board...It's complicated for all of us, because none of us have
seen it in play. This is a new landscape."
MBA Criminal Justice
Section Vice Chair Peter Elikann, Boston Herald, October 7
Elikann spoke to the Herald about the possibility of
16-year-old Philip Chism getting parole if found guilty in the 2013
murder of Danvers High School teacher Colleen E. Ritzer. The SJC
revised the sentencing law for juveniles convicted of murder in
December 2013. If convicted, Chism could have the opportunity for
parole in 20 years, or 30 years if convicted of first-degree murder
with extreme cruelty.
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