DA expects 10% jump in juvie crime in ‘25; new bill diverts kids from courts
SPRINGFIELD — Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni finds himself in a juvenile crime balancing act.
On one hand, he supports diversion programs for young offenders who get caught up in minor cases and deserve another chance to get their lives back on track with the help of 12 weeks of counseling and training.
Those offenders are between the ages of 12 and 17, and have committed petty crimes, such as shoplifting or trespassing.
On the other hand, he is projecting a 10% increase in juvenile crime this year and a rise in more serious crimes committed by minors.
"We're consistently frustrated with the outcomes of Juvenile Court around serious crime," Gulluni said. "It becomes a system with no accountability."
A rise in car thefts is fueling the caseload, he noted.
"They're stealing cars. They're fleeing from police. At times, there are firearms in those cars," Gulluni said, echoing what Springfield police told The Republican earlier this month.
Those offenders will not have the privilege of diversion programs.
But the intentions of Gulluni and his staff do not always mesh with decisions from the bench, he said. There are often tensions between the two.
Through August this year, there were 560 criminal cases in Juvenile Court in Hampden County. Of those, 58 involved stolen motor vehicles. And of those, 46 occurred in Springfield, according to the DA's Office.
The number of juvenile prosecutions has ebbed and flowed since the pandemic. The year 2021 saw a historic low — 318 cases. That number peaked in 2023 with 910 cases, then dipped, but is projected to rise again to around 840 cases this year, Gulluni said.
"I agree we're seeing a concerning rise in juveniles committing more serious crimes," he said.
Drug distribution and trafficking cases involving juveniles are tracking to increase over the whole of 2024, when there were seven. This year, there are already five, with four months to go in the calendar year. Motor vehicle offenses, including carjacking, have so far reached 58 and are projected to exceed the total number of similar offenses in 2024, at 95.
Springfield police say three murders were committed by juveniles in 2024 and 2025. Those include a seemingly motiveless fatal shooting in January, when a 15-year-old assailant killed 19-year-old Semaj Brewster on Oakland Street in Springfield. The victim and shooter were strangers to one another, investigators said.
Sexual assaults involving a juvenile perpetrator totaled 14 last year and stand at half that so far this year, according to the DA's Office. Assaults in 2025 appear to be tracking slightly lower than last year, at 61 versus 138.
Three juveniles were charged with motor vehicle homicide this year, while none were charged with that crime in 2024, statistics provided by Gulluni's office show. Gun-related charges reached 36 last year and already total 24 in 2025.
Statewide picture
A Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board report released earlier this year showed a statewide uptick of arrests and pretrial detention for youth in fiscal 2024, according to the state Office of the Child Advocate.
Juvenile arrests and summons in fiscal 2023 totaled 10,064 statewide, the board's data showed. Those numbers crept up to 10,383 the following year.
And for the third year in a row, there was an increase in youth incarceration. The state saw a 17% increase in those admissions from fiscal 2023 to 2024.
Advocates say that might cause more harm than good.
"Arrests and detentions can be deeply traumatic for youth, disrupting education, family and stability and mental health," Maria Mossaides, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, said in a statement in March when the agency issued its annual report.
The annual report highlighted "ongoing and worsening" racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.
Data from the report showed an increase in court cases for Black and Latino youth, with a 14% increase in arrests for Black youth, an 18% increase among Latino youth and a 2% decrease for white youth.
As such, Mossaides, her agency and others are calling for legislative reforms to help stem the increasing flow of young people into the justice system.
"Legislation is needed to ensure that help comes earlier, in the community, and without the harmful consequences of unnecessary court involvement," she said in a statement. "These changes are critical to making the system more effective and more equitable."
Her office highlighted pending bill H.265/S.141, "An Act Regarding Families and Children in Need of Assistance," which took testimony earlier this summer at the State House.
The bill — sponsored by state Rep. Rita Mendes. D-11th Plymouth, and state Sen. Robyn Kennedy, D-1st Worcester, would make targeted reforms to the Bay State's Child Requiring Assistance to give families can access support first, without going through the courts.
Among the major reforms, the bill will expand the role of Family Resource Centers in the state to improve earlier intervention with case managers and coordinated support through multidisciplinary teams; change the Child Requiring Assistance process to explore community-based options before a petition is filed, making court a last resort; and raise the younger age threshold of Child Requiring Assistance jurisdiction from 6 to 12 to make it more appropriate developmentally.
"A court process — which can be adversarial — is simply not the best way to address what are often complex behavioral health needs, learning disabilities, and/or family conflicts," said Mossaides.
2021 killing
Based on details provided by Springfield Police Capt. Trent Duda, and other examples from Hampden County court cases, it is clear that children can be killers.
"Juveniles are driving violent crime. They have no fear of punishment," Duda said previously.
The case of David Burgos provides one horrifying example, if facts provided by investigators prove to be true. Burgos was 16 when he allegedly attacked a counselor at a juvenile lockup on Tinkham Road in Springfield on June 30, 2021.
After sharing a hug and a handshake, according to a police report, Burgos tackled and choked to death a kindly staffer helping him get settled in a room. Burgos had a history of assaults on staff.
James Hillman, 60, was captured on surveillance footage gasping and pleading for help for a full 5 minutes. None came until Burgos used Hillman's radio to call a "code," which brought other staffers running, reports say.
When help arrived, they encountered the teen.
"Over here. This (guy) dead," Burgos told them.
"What do you mean by 'he's dead'?" a staffer responded.
"This (guy) dead," Burgos repeated.
"What did you do?" another staff member asked.
"I don't know," Burgos answered.
Other staff members attempted life-saving measures on Hillman until three ambulances arrived, according to the report. He died at Baystate Medical Center on July 20, 2021, after being removed from life support, authorities said.
Burgos has been charged as a youthful offender, a category that will expose him to adult prosecution and penalties. His case is projected to go to trial on Jan. 6. A final pretrial conference is slated for Dec. 16, according to the court docket.
Diluted accountability
When asked about the Office of the Child Advocate report, Gulluni said prosecutors and that office often have different goals. He feels his office's intentions for certain juvenile offenders can be diluted by the courts.
"Our goals of public safety and accountability often depart with the decisions of the court," Gulluni said.
He said his office has a "zero tolerance" policy about youth charged with gun possession and related crimes, and routinely seek delinquency, or a Department of Youth Services commitment.
Gulluni's office also has fought to push back on judges' decisions to frequently continue without a finding what they consider serious juvenile cases or when they hand down probationary sentences.
In 2023, the state's Supreme Judicial Court rendered a decision that allowed judges wide discretion to dismiss or suspend sentences for youthful offenders.
Prosecutors appealed a decision by Hampden Juvenile Court Judge David Paradis when he decided to suspend a DYS sentence and instead place the defendant, Miguel Remi Dones, 17, on probation.
Dones had been stopped by Massachusetts State Police in a car that had a firearm in plain view, according to court records. He was arrested and charged. Dones was held in a DYS facility for eight months, because his family could not make his bail. Once he tendered a plea, his attorney asked for probation.
Gulluni's office appealed the sentence, which was denied by Paradis, and appealed to a higher court once again. The case went to the SJC, which upheld Paradis' ruling.
Dones was arrested last year, after he turned 21, and charged with murder in connection with a car-to-car shooting on Interstate 391 that wounded multiple people and one fatally, investigators said.
When he was charged, Dones was already in state custody, charged with separate gun and drug trafficking charges, according to police.
Those cases are pending.
Massachusetts courts have been trending against commitments or prison sentences for young offenders, citing their age and maturity level.
While Gulluni said he supports thoughtful reform in terms of juvenile justice, he believes the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction — particularly in Hampden County.
He said the statutory secrecy of Juvenile Court matters makes it an island unto itself.
Use of 'diversion' programs
There is hope for some local youth, however.
The Juvenile Courts in Springfield, Holyoke and Palmer are linked to a diversion program called "Bridging the Gap," a partnership with the Salvation Army.
In 2024, there were 210 diverted cases across the county, and 14 participants, or 6.6%, were terminated from the program for noncompliance.
This year, that program has had 49 diversions so far and three failures, Gulluni said.
The 12-week program entails programming on conflict resolution, anger management, life skills and site visits. Participants are screened by offense level, background and other factors.
If they successfully complete the program, their cases never make it to court and their records remain clean.
"What happens in Juvenile Court is very, very important. There are some watershed moments or forks in the road that can impact a kid's future for a very, very long time," Gulluni said.
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