Erica E. Cushna, Trial Panel Director • Melissa Ellis, Staff Counsel
35 Congress Street, Suite 351 1822 North Main Street, Suite 205
Salem, MA 01970 Fall River, MA 02760
Under the direction and supervision of the Trial Panel Director, YAD has a specialized panel of attorneys who provide counsel to youth committed to the Department of Youth Services who are facing a process similar to parole revocation, called GCL Revocation. The Revocation Advocacy Panel consists of trained and certified private attorneys across the state who represent youth for their GCL Revocation hearings.
Access to Counsel for GCL Revocation
In coordination with the Department of Youth Services (DYS), YAD offers counsel statewide to all youth that are committed to DYS and returned to custody for revocation of their Grants of Conditional Liberty (GCL). These youth — facing a proceeding essentially similar to parole revocation — are entitled by law to due process and fundamental fairness.
The Revocation Process
After youth are committed by the court to DYS and serve their initial time in custody, they are then released into the community under an agreement similar to parole which is called the Grant of Conditional Liberty, or GCL. The GCL includes conditions such as obeying all laws, attending school regularly, and staying in contact with the DYS caseworker. When a caseworker believes that a youth is not following the conditions of the GCL, he or she may decide to return the you to secure custody to face an administrative revocation hearing.
At the revocation hearing, a hearing officer will consider all evidence in determining whether or not the youth violated the GCL, and, if so, decide upon the amount of time the youth will spend in a secure facility. Revocation dispositions can vary from one night to six months. The youth has the opportunity to contest the alleged violations and the amount of time that DYS is seeking to hold him or her. The youth also has the right to appeal the revocation disposition.
At the revocation hearing, a hearing officer will consider all evidence in determining whether or not the youth violated the GCL, and, if so, decide upon the amount of time the youth will spend in a secure facility. Revocation dispositions can vary from one night to six months. The youth has the opportunity to contest the alleged violations and the amount of time that DYS is seeking to hold him or her. The youth also has the right to appeal the revocation disposition.
For information or advice regarding a GCL Revocation, please contact:
Erica Cushna Melissa Ellis Carly Pederson
Trial Panel Director Staff Counsel Administrative Assistant
978.219.5425 508.484.5787 978.219.5430
Revocation Panel Resource(s):