Mayor Domenic J. Sarno joined for the Springfield District Court Emerging Adult Court of Hope Graduation ceremony on Thursday at the District Court located at the Roderick J. Ireland Courthouse at 50 State Street.
The Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) court began in February 2020 and was created by Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni, ROCA, and the Massachusetts Trial Court. EACH’s mission is to change the trajectory of the lives of young people from 18 to 24 years old who are court involved and facing serious felonies. To do this, a team of experienced court and non-profit professionals support these young people in addressing the underlying issues contributing to their life circumstance. This may include addressing such issues as: behavioral and mental health, substance-use disorders, housing instability, and food insecurity. While simultaneously providing a path forward through education, career training, and job placement.
Mayor Sarno states, “I was honored to attend the EACH graduation ceremony and commend the graduates on their hard work and perseverance. Second chances, where warranted, with accountability, remorse, and hard work can move an individual forward on the right path. The rigorous EACH program, pioneered by DA Gulluni, puts participants in a position to succeed and build a bright future. Special thanks to Solomon Baymon, Director of Roca in Western Mass, Hampden DA Anthony Gulluni, First Justice Kevin Maltby, and the probation and court staff for their ongoing work to help individuals move forward with their lives in a positive way. Solomon Bayman, Director of ROCA of Western Massachusetts, and his team at ROCA do an amazing job. Of note, the ROCA Western Mass chapter is one of the busiest and most successful in the state, if not the entire nation. My administration is proud to have funded and partnered with ROCA to not only help keep our neighborhoods clean but just as important provide youth and young adults that are at-risk of going down the wrong path with our judicial system a second chance by offering a solid foundation to better their lives and choose this innovative model to say no to violence and criminal activity. I am so appreciative of our ROCA’s crews for what they do to help keep our Springfield clean and for their efforts to move forward in life and make our community a better place. Shout to the two graduates today who also both helped out with our ROCA crews, Jomar and Matthew, who are working to become a firefighter and HVAC tech – keep working hard! I commend these individuals for volunteering to be involved in the EACH program and successfully completing each phase. Congratulations!”
In order to join the EACH court which is a voluntary program, participants must plead guilty to the charges against them and work their way through a four-phase program that includes attending therapy, finding supportive housing, staying away from crime and maintain a full-time job. If they are unsuccessful and they are removed from the court they are then sentenced on their original charges. If the participants complete the court’s mandates successfully, their cases are dismissed and their records are cleared.
Yesterday was the fourth EACH graduation, and Jomar and Matthew are the sixth and seventh graduates of the program.
