Ask a question on the site
Questions
Lawyers
Blogs
Legislation
Contacts
Become a lawyer
Login Registration
Section 1 - Declaration of Policy; Purpose - Section 1. It is hereby declared to be the policy...
Section 21 - Definitions Applicable to Secs. 21 to 51h - Section 21. As used in sections 21 to 51H, inclusive,...
Section 21a - Admissibility of Evidence; Qualified Experts - Section 21A. Evidence in proceedings under sections 21 to 51H,...
Section 22 - Visitation of Family Foster Homes; Removal of Child; Discharge of Child to Parent or Legal Guardian - Section 22. An agent of the department shall visit each...
Section 23 - Responsibility of Department to Provide Foster Care for Children; Placement With Relatives; Funeral Expenses; Child Profile Form; Extension of Support of Child Until 22 Years of Age; Assignment of Support Rights; Assistance to Foster Car... - Section 23. (a) The department shall have the responsibility, including...
Section 23a - Children Born to Inmates of Correctional Institutions or Jails; Care and Custody - Section 23A. Any child born to an inmate of the...
Section 23b - Services to Unwed Mothers - Section 23B. The department may, through its own resources or...
Section 24 - Procedure to Commit Child to Custody or Other Disposition; Notice and Summons; Emergency Order Transferring Custody; Investigation; Abandoned Children - Section 24. A person may petition under oath the juvenile...
Section 25 - Hearing; Custody of Child - Section 25. The petition under section 24 may be heard...
Section 26 - Procedure at Hearing; Order of Commitment; Petition to Dispense With Parental Consent to Adoption; Reimbursement of Commonwealth; Petition for Review - Section 26. (a) If the child is identified by the...
Section 26a - Registration of Interest for Foster Care Placement; Criminal Record Review; Fingerprint-Based Checks; Grounds for Rejection - Section 26A. (a) As part of the department's licensing and...
Section 26b - Grandparent Visitation; Sibling Visitation; Appeal of Decision to Deny Visitation - Section 26B. (a) Whenever a child is placed in family...
Section 26c - Summary of Foster Care Providers' Employment - Section 26C. The department shall provide all children's foster care...
Section 27 - Appeals; Procedure; Notice of Right of Appeal; Time Limits - Section 27. A child, parent, guardian or person appearing in...
Section 28 - Orders for Payment of Support; Who May Bring Action; Expiration of Order or Judgment - Section 28. (a) During the pendency of an action brought...
Section 29 - Right to Counsel; Notice of Right; Court Appointed Counsel - Section 29. The following persons shall have and shall be...
Section 29a - Legal Fees of Minors in Criminal Proceedings; Liability of Parents - Section 29A. The parents of an unemancipated minor shall be...
Section 29b - Determination of Future Status of Committed Children; Orders; Permanency Hearings; Appeals - Section 29B. (a) Except as provided in subsection (d), within...
Section 29c - Judicial Certification of Need to Remove Child From Home - Section 29C. If a court of competent jurisdiction commits, grants...
Section 29d - Notice of Hearing - Section 29D. The department shall provide notice of hearings held...
Section 32 - Placement of Children in Private Families; Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Standards; Individualized Health Care Plan - Section 32. Children in the care or custody of the...
Section 33 - Placement of Children in Family Home Care - Section 33. In placing a child in family home care,...
Section 33b - Placement in Family Home Care of Juvenile Who Has or May Have Committed a Sexual Offense or Arson - Section 33B. At the time of placing a child in...
Section 33c - Congregate Care Program; Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard - Section 33C. (a) A congregate care program under contract to...
Section 34 - Transportation of Children in Patrol Wagons - Section 34. A child involved in any proceeding shall not...
Section 35 - Furnishing Parent or Guardian Information as to Child; Permission to Visit; Notice; Parents Convicted of First Degree Murder - Section 35. If the parent or guardian of a child...
Section 36 - Bringing Child Into Commonwealth With View to Adoption, Guardianship, Custody or Care; Permit; Application; Bond - Section 36. No person or institution shall bring or cause...
Section 37 - Rules and Regulations of Department - Section 37. The department shall make rules and regulations concerning...
Section 38 - Closed Hearings; Publication of Names - Section 38. All hearings under sections 1 to 38A, inclusive,...
Section 38a - Petitions for Order to Not Resuscitate or to Withdraw Life-Sustaining Medical Treatment; Required Recommendations; Appeals - Section 38A. In any proceedings related to court orders to...
Section 39 - Abandonment of Infant Under Age of Ten - Section 39. Whoever abandons an infant under the age of...
Section 391/2 - Placement of a Newborn Into Foster Care - Section 391/2. Subject to appropriation, the department shall accept for...
Section 39d - Visitation Rights to Certain Grandparents of Unmarried Minor Children; Place to File Petition - Section 39D. If the parents of an unmarried minor child...
Section 39e - Petitions Seeking Determination That Child Is in Need of Services; Jurisdiction; Standing - Section 39E. The divisions of the juvenile court department may...
Section 39f - Children in Need of Services; Right to Counsel; Determination of Indigency; Assessment of Costs - Section 39F. When an application for assistance stating the a...
Section 39g - Hearing; Determination of Child Requiring Assistance - Section 39G. At any hearing to determine whether a child...
Section 39h - Custodial Protection of Child; Notification and Placement; Bail; Detention; Right of Appeal - Section 39H. A child may be taken into custodial protection...
Section 39i - Children in Need of Services; Appeal; Rights and Procedures - Section 39I. A child, parent, legal guardian or custodian may...
Section 39k - Child Welfare Service Needs of Sexually Exploited Children - Section 39K. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to...
Section 39l - Children in Violation of Prohibition Against Common Night Walking or Common Streetwalking; Petition for Care and Protection; Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem; Stay of Juvenile Delinquency or Criminal Proceedings; Failure of Child to Com... - Section 39L. (a) Before or after arraignment in any juvenile...
Section 39m - Dependency Proceedings for Abused, Neglected and Abandoned Children; Determination of Child's Best Interest; Petition for Special Findings - Section 39M. (a) For the purposes of this section, the...
Section 51a - Reporting of Suspected Abuse or Neglect; Mandated Reporters; Collection of Physical Evidence; Penalties; Content of Reports; Liability; Privileged Communication - Section 51A. (a) A mandated reporter who, in his professional...
Section 51b - Investigation of Report of Abuse Filed Under Sec. 51a; Removal of Child; Transmission and Filing of Written Reports; Notice to District Attorney; Disclosure of Information by Mandated Reporter - Section 51B. (a) Upon receipt of a report filed under...
Section 51c - Custody of Injured Child Pending Transfer to Department or Pending Hearing - Section 51C. If a parent or other person requests the...
Section 51d - Powers and Duties of Area Directors; Multi-Disciplinary Service Teams - Section 51D. Each area director of the department shall be...
Section 51e - Reports of Injured Children; Files; Confidentiality; Penalties - Section 51E. The department shall maintain a file of the...
Section 51f - Central Registry of Information; Confidentiality; Penalties - Section 51F. The department shall maintain a central registry of...
Section 51g - Severability of Secs. 51a to 51f - Section 51G. Sections fifty-one A to fifty-one F, inclusive, are...
Section 51h - Protective Alerts; Transport of Child to Another State or Country - Section 51H. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the...
Section 52 - Delinquent Children; Definitions - Section 52. The following words as used in the following...
Section 53 - Delinquent Children; Liberal Construction; Nature of Proceedings - Section 53. Sections fifty-two to sixty-three, inclusive, shall be liberally...
Section 54 - Delinquent Children; Complaint; Indictment; Examination of Complainant - Section 54. If complaint is made to any court that...
Section 54a - Delinquent Children; Diversion of Child to Program of Community Supervision or Other Rehabilitative Services; Assessment of Suitability for Diversion; Determination of Eligibility; Diversion of Child by District Attorney; Subsequent Off... - Section 54A. (a) A juvenile court shall have jurisdiction to...
Section 55 - Delinquent Children; Summoning of Parent or Guardian - Section 55. If a child has been summoned to appear...
Section 55a - Delinquent Children; Jury Trials; Discovery Orders; Jury-Waived Trials; Appointment of Stenographer - Section 55A. Trial of a child complained of as a...
Section 55b - Delinquent Children; Plea; Disposition Request; Pretrial Motions - Section 55B. A child who is before the juvenile court...
Section 56 - Delinquent Children; Adjournments; Jury Sessions; Appointment of Stenographer - Section 56. Hearings upon cases arising under sections fifty-two to...
Section 57 - Delinquent Children; Investigation by Probation Officer; Record of Performance; Reports - Section 57. Every case of a delinquent child shall be...
Section 58 - Adjudication as Delinquent Child or Youthful Offender - Section 58. At the hearing of a complaint against a...
Section 58b - Delinquent Children; Motor Vehicle Violations; Disposition; Admissibility of Adjudication and Disposition as Evidence in Other Proceedings - Section 58B. If, under the provisions of section fifty-eight, a...
Section 59 - Delinquent Children; Violation of Terms of Probation - Section 59. If a child has been placed in care...
Section 60 - Delinquent Children; Admissibility of Adjudication in Subsequent Proceeding; Disqualification for Public Service - Section 60. An adjudication of any child as a delinquent...
Section 60a - Inspection of Records in Youthful Offender and Delinquency Cases - Section 60A. The records of a youthful offender proceeding conducted...
Section 62 - Delinquent Children; Restitution or Reparation by Child to Injured Person - Section 62. If, in adjudging a person a delinquent child,...
Section 63 - Inducing or Abetting Delinquency of Child - Section 63. Any person who shall be found to have...
Section 63a - Delinquent Children; Aiding and Abetting Violation of Juvenile Court Order; Concealing or Harboring Child; Penalties; Defenses - Section 63A. Whoever is 19 years of age or older...
Section 64 - Delinquent Children; Powers of Commissioner of Probation; Annual Report - Section 64. The commissioner of probation may supervise the probation...
Section 65 - Juvenile Sessions; Presence of Minors; Exclusion of Public - Section 65. Courts shall designate suitable times for the hearing...
Section 66 - Detention of Child in Police Station; Commitment to Jail, House of Correction or State Farm - Section 66. Except as otherwise provided in section sixty-seven and...
Section 67 - Notice of Arrest of Child; Release Upon Promise of Child's Appearance in Court; Detention - Section 67. (a) Whenever a child between 12 and 18...
Section 68 - Commitment of Children Held for Examination or Trial - Section 68. A child who has attained the age of...
Section 68a - Diagnostic Study by Department of Youth Services; Report and Recommendations - Section 68A. A child between 12 and 18 years of...
Section 68b - Special Foster Homes; Detention Homes; Alternate Placements of Child - Section 68B. The department of youth services may use or...
Section 68c - Diagnostic Services by Department of Youth Services - Section 68C. The department of youth services shall maintain and...
Section 69 - Information and Reports of Superintendents of Schools and Teachers - Section 69. The superintendent of the public schools in any...
Section 69a - Information of Probation Officers, Police and School Authorities - Section 69A. When a person has been committed to the...
Section 70 - Summoning of Parent or Guardian During Case - Section 70. At any time during the pendency of any...
Section 71 - Failure to Appear on Summons; Capias - Section 71. If any person to whom a summons is...
Section 72 - Continuance of Jurisdiction of Courts in Juvenile Sessions - Section 72. (a) The divisions of the juvenile court department...
Section 72a - Proceedings Upon Apprehension After Nineteenth Birthday - Section 72A. If a person commits an offense or violation...
Section 72b - Persons Between the Ages of Fourteen and Eighteen Convicted of Murder; Penalties - Section 72B. If a person is found guilty of murder...
Section 74 - Limitations on Criminal Proceedings Against Children - Section 74. Except as hereinafter provided and as provided in...
Section 84 - Warrant of Commitment to Department of Youth Services - Section 84. Whenever a person is committed to the department...
Section 85 - Department Employees Reporting Animal Cruelty, Abuse or Neglect; Immunity From Liability - Section 85. (a) During any investigation or evaluation reported under...
Section 86 - Use of Restraints During Court Proceedings - Section 86. (a) For the purposes of this section, the...
Section 87 - Placement of Juvenile in Secure Detention Facility or Secure Correctional Facility or in Any Institution in Which Juvenile Has Contact With Adult Inmates - Section 87. (a) The department of youth services and the...
Section 88 - Participation in Community-Based Restorative Justice Program - Section 88. A child against whom a complaint is brought...
Section 89 - Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board - Section 89. (a) As used in this section the following...