Local Officials Denounce Move Of Brookline Juvenile Court Cases

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline officials are speaking out against Chief Justice Paul Dawley's recent decision to move the town's juvenile court cases from Brookline District Court to Norfolk County Juvenile Court in Dedham, effective Tuesday, September 7.

District Attorney Michael Morrissey, Brookline Police Chief Mark Morgan, and Brookline Select Board member Bernard Greene each sent a letter to Dawley and Chief Justice of the MA Juvenile Courts Amy Nechtem over the last few weeks, questioning the decision and urging them to either rescind it or provide further opportunities for Brookline cases to be heard in Brookline District Court.

"There appears to have been little or no dialog with stakeholders, including the District Attorney’s
Office, residents, or those who practice in Brookline District Court, that such a plan was going to be implemented," said Morrissey in a letter to Nechtem on August 26. "I have expressed to Chief Justice Dawley in the past my support for maintaining the Brookline community court in both its adult and juvenile sessions. I am opposed to this move and do not believe that it is in the best interest of those currently served by the Brookline District Court."

Morrissey also argued that the number of juvenile cases in Brookline is quite small and could be served with limited resources in a short amount of time, maybe even just one morning a month.

"As judges move from courthouse to courthouse on a daily basis, one or two sessions a month in Brookline seems a modest price to maintain this valuable community asset," said Morrissey

Although Dawley recently discussed the change with Morgan at Brookline District Court, Morgan said he was told that, although jurisdiction would be moved to Dedham, proceedings would still be held locally for Brookline juveniles. He was also not informed of how soon the change would become effective.

"During this conversation I had emphasized that the physical location of the Brookline District Court was a crucial factor in being able to successfully resolve cases and rehabilitate youthful offenders," said Morgan in a letter to Dawley on August 25. "The courthouse is centralized to many social services enterprises of the Town of Brookline, that have a role in dealing positively with youthful offenders to assist and guide them towards the positive outcomes we are all working towards."

In his letter, Greene focused on the decision's potential detriments to low-income and minority juveniles, as Dedham is not easy to access by either car or public transportation. It is also an overwhelmingly white, suburban community that may not have the resources to help youth from Boston communities.

"The decision to transfer Juvenile Court cases to Dedham will create a structure that on the surface may appear benign," said Greene. "But as applied, that structure will impose severely negative penalties on the Black and Brown and low-income youth who are most in need of the support and services offered by the Juvenile Court in Brookline."

Brookline PAX, a local progressive political action group, recently launched a petition via Change.org urging the Brookline Select Board and School Committee to coordinate a campaign with state representatives to stop Dawley's decision. As of Monday, the petition has 268 signatures out of its current goal of 500.