Juvenile Parole
What’s Next for Philip Chism?
This week, Massachusetts mourned anew over the rape and murder of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. On Friday, friends and family shared their sorrow in victim-impact […]
What Happens at a Juvenile Lifer Hearing?
Once a month, in an ordinary brick two-story building off Route 9 in Natick, lines of people lock cell phones in their cars, hang their […]
Will Gregory Diatchenko Get a Second Chance?
“I am here before you today to say that I am truly sorry. … I am no longer the 17-year-old punk kid that I was so […]
State Grants Parole for Man Convicted of Murder as Juvenile
Joe Donovan was supposed to spend the rest of his life in jail for throwing a punch that led to the murder of an MIT student. […]
Would You Let This Man Go Free?
As a teenager, Greg Diatchenko was convicted of murder and given the mandatory sentence: life without parole. Now science, and the courts, could give him another chance.
Board Approves Parole for Man Convicted as Juvenile
The Massachusetts Parole Board announced Thursday that Frederick Christian, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole as a juvenile, is […]
What’s to Come for Juvenile Murderers Seeking Parole?
Seven months after the highest court in Massachusetts ruled that it was cruel and unusual to keep murderers convicted as juveniles behind bars for the rest […]
Goldman Sachs Is Investing in Boston Gang Members
Goldman Sachs is putting a multi-million dollar bet on the hope that Massachusetts gang members will stay out of jail. A fascinating story from Bloomberg […]
Families to Deliver Petitions to Governor Asking to Stop Possible Parole of Jailed Murderers
Families impacted by a recent ruling handed down by the Massachusetts Supreme Court that gives teenagers convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in […]
The Downing Family’s Fight to Keep a Convicted Murderer Behind Bars
Erin Downing has been anxiously expecting a phone call from the state telling her that the teenager—now a man—who was convicted of stabbing her mother […]
Why Sentencing Children As Adults Is A Bad Idea
As tight-knit Danvers mourns the tragic death of Colleen Ritzer, the 24-year-old math teacher found dead last week near Danvers High School, there’s some concern […]
What Happens to 14-Year-Old Philip Chism If He’s Found Guilty of Murder?
When the Essex County District Attorney charged 14-year-old Philip Chism as an adult for the murder of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer, he touched […]
When Emotion Drives The Law
GOVERNOR PATRICK’S PAROLE REFORM is not the first time Massachusetts and other states have pushed for laws out of emotion or knee-jerk reactions. Sometimes the […]
Patrick’s Folly
In rushing to fix the system after a police officer was killed by a criminal on parole, our governor is leading us down the wrong path.
Teenage Wasteland
It’s easy to lock up a juvenile for life. That doesn’t always mean it’s right.