Massachusetts General Laws ch. 276B sec. 4 – Effect of participation in community-based restorative justice program in current or subsequent legal proceedings; confidentiality of statements made during the course of an assignment to program
Section 4. Participation in a community-based restorative justice program shall not be used as evidence or as an admission of guilt, delinquency or civil liability in current or subsequent legal proceedings against any participant. Any statement made by a juvenile or adult defendant during the course of an assignment to a community-based restorative justice program shall be confidential and shall not be subject to disclosure in any judicial or administrative proceeding and no information obtained during the course of such assignment shall be used in any stage of a criminal investigation or prosecution or civil or administrative proceeding; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall preclude any evidence obtained through an independent source or that would have been inevitably discovered by lawful means from being admitted at such proceedings.
Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 276B sec. 4
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.