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S 1054

An Act improving juvenile justice data collection

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Nick Collins and 3 co-sponsors

Establish statewide, standardized collection of disaggregated juvenile justice data and annual Child Advocate reports to improve transparency, accountability, and policy decisions.

Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
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Bill Summary · S 1054

Summary — S.1054: An Act improving juvenile justice data collection (Massachusetts)

Note: The packet you provided includes multiple unrelated items that share the identifier “S 1054” (notably an Idaho bean-commission bill and an attached fiscal note unrelated to this Massachusetts measure). This summary focuses on the Massachusetts bill titled “An Act improving juvenile justice data collection,” as reflected in the bill text filed in the Massachusetts Senate (Senate Docket No. 589).

Purpose

To establish consistent, comprehensive statewide systems and reporting requirements so the Commonwealth can collect accurate, disaggregated data about juveniles’ contacts with law enforcement and the juvenile justice system — enabling evaluation, transparency, and data-driven policy.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new statutory reporting duty (new Section 15 in Chapter 18C and a new Section 90 in Chapter 119):
    • The Child Advocate must prepare an annual statistical report on the juvenile justice system and submit it by December 31 to the Governor, Judiciary and Public Safety legislative committee chairs, committees on children/families/persons with disabilities, and senior judicial officials. The report will be made public consistent with Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board recommendations.
    • The Child Advocate will request data from relevant offices and departments at least annually and may request quarterly data.
    • The Child Advocate, in consultation with the Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board, must issue guidance on submission schedules, file formats, and required data categories/types. Agencies must comply and may be required to provide individual‑level data for analysis, subject to statutory confidentiality limits.
  • Minimum data and disaggregation requirements: guidance must permit cross-tabulation by age at offense, sex/gender, gender identity and expression, racial/ethnic category, sexual orientation, charge type/level, geographic location (e.g., county or court), Department of Children and Families involvement, and combinations thereof. Guidance shall consider self-reporting and reporting standards issued by the Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board.
  • Expands and clarifies definitions in Chapter 119:
    • Adds statutory definitions for “gender identity” and for “sexual orientation.”
    • Expands the agencies covered to include “mental health care and child welfare systems.”
  • Enumerates “justice system decision points” (arrest, diversion, detention, charging, prosecution, transfer, adjudication, disposition, probation, commitment to DYS, parole decisions, sealing decisions, etc.) for which data should be collected (full list appears in bill text).

Who is affected

  • Child Advocate’s Office (primary reporting and guidance role)
  • Juvenile Justice Policy and Data Board (consultation, standards)
  • State and local criminal-justice agencies, courts, law enforcement, Department of Children and Families, mental health and child welfare agencies — required to provide data
  • Youth and families (through increased transparency and potential policy changes)
  • Researchers, policymakers, and the public (better access to system-wide statistics)

Procedural / timeline aspects

  • Bill filed in the 2025–2026 General Court (Senate Docket No. 589). Hearing scheduled (per packet) for 06/10/2025, 1:00–5:00 PM in A-2.
  • Public annual reporting deadline: December 31 each year.
  • Individual-level data sharing limited by existing confidentiality laws (Section 12, Chapter 18C).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Expected benefits: improved transparency, ability to analyze disparities and decision-point outcomes, and better-informed reforms.
  • Administrative impacts: agencies will need to standardize and transmit data in analyzable formats; this may require staff time and system upgrades.
  • Privacy and legal considerations: the bill permits individual-level data for analysis but binds the Child Advocate to existing legal confidentiality limits; implementation must safeguard juveniles’ privacy.

If you want, I can produce a one‑page checklist for agencies listing the specific data elements and formats the bill requires (based on the bill text), or compare this bill to the similar provision from the prior session noted in the filing.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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