New kind of court in Springfield clears 1st graduate of criminal charges

For a moment, the typically somber atmosphere of Courtroom 2 in Springfield District Court broke with an air of celebration as a unique legal proceeding came to its conclusion on Thursday afternoon.

Hampden County prosecutors and defense counsel alike had reason to celebrate as an ambitious endeavor spearheaded by District Attorney Anthony Gulluni came to fruition with the first graduate of the Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH), a diversion court for at-risk young adults.

Carlton Ford, 24, of Springfield had the most cause to celebrate as he became the first graduate of EACH, a novel court program that gives individuals in the criminal justice system the opportunity to complete a program in order to get criminal charges dismissed and ultimately expunged from their record. The court is one-of-a-kind in Massachusetts and among the few in the nation, according to Gulluni.Read more: A second chance: Emerging Adult Court of Hope offers fresh start

Important for me in this journey was the ability to learn different stuff about myself and the way I think, Ford told MassLive prior to the court hearing. And the program has helped me act on my values and deal with stress. And Ive got people to talk to.

First graduate of the Emerging Adult Court of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022.

EACH began in February 2020 for individuals with criminal charges who first must plead guilty before being admitted to the alternative court. EACH gives individuals the opportunity to get their charges dismissed following completion. The emerging adult court has a focus on young adult offenders, typically between the ages of 18 to 24, who are too old for the juvenile court system but that Gulluni believes can turn their lives around.

The pandemic delayed the early stages of the courts progress, but Gulluni said the past year has seen a lot of growth from members of the program.

There are currently eight participants in EACH all men, though its available for women who must complete an 18-month regimen that is supervised by a collaborative effort between their parole officer, the district attorneys office, a presiding judge and Roca Springfield and Roca Holyoke, two offices connected to a national institute that works to address violence by working with young people.Read more: The long road from jail

Ford first joined EACH in September 2021 and completed it within 15 months. He graduated on Thursday having obtained a CDL drivers license and with prospects for a well-paying career, not a job, as Gulluni pointed out in an earlier interview.

We do it all around the idea that these young men deserve an opportunity, Gulluni said during the court hearing. That they can do something with their lives if given the opportunity and if they work for it … Its become a labor of love. And we do it because we believe in these young people and in the young people to come.

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni watches on as Carlton Ford stands before Judge Kevin Maltby on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, at Springfield District Court.

Gulluni said that EACH hasnt been successful across the board and that his office has faced its challenges and troubles along the way.

In attendance on Thursday was the mother of David Ballard, a 22-year-old Springfield man enrolled in EACH, who was killed in December 2021 after being shot on Union Street. Ballard was featured last year in a MassLive story about the early stages of EACH.

Even with the programs share of setbacks, Gulluni noted that EACH continues to provide at-risk young adults a chance to change the trajectory of their lives. Ford, for example, faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 18 months if he had been convicted on his original charges of illegally carrying a firearm.

All these months later, he is a different person hes really blossomed, Gulluni said of Ford. He is more communicative and open. Had things played out in their normal course referring to sentencing he would probably just now be getting out of jail.

Gulluni described goals for EACH as demanding, as participants must report for their jobs at 6:45 a.m. every morning, must abstain from alcohol and drugs, and that they participate in community service and mandated therapy.

Its a hand-up, not a handout, Gulluni said.

Gulluni had conceived of EACH after learning of the Young Adult Court in San Francisco, a court established in the summer 2015 for eligible young adults, 18 to 24 years old. The court was the first of its kind nationwide and other programs have since rolled out in Brooklyn and Chicago.Read more: Facing criminal charges, these young adults were given a second chance to spend Christmas with family

Finding stable housing is a challenge Gulluni said his office and other EACH architects have had to adjust to. The high prices in the current real estate market make it hard for participants to find safe housing.

You cant show up on time to work and you cant be rested unless you have a place to call your own that is stable and clean, Gulluni said. Service providers like Way Finders of Springfield have pitched in to help.

Judge Kevin Maltby of Springfield District Court oversaw the EACH court proceeding on Thursday and described the flexible nature of the program.

Each participant is individualized in terms of what their needs are and where they are in the program, Maltby said during the hearing. And we pay specific attention to each one of them and what their goals are.

District Attorney Anthony Gulluni (left) with Carlton Ford, Judge Kevin Maltby and ROCA Western Mass. Regional Director Solomon Baymon on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022.

Maltby listed off over a dozen members from the courts probation department, members of the Hampden District Attorneys Office, and Roca to highlight the collective effort undertaken to reach the courts first graduation ceremony.

In the key moment in the proceeding, prosecutors from the district attorneys office filed a motion for a new trial and nolle prosequi entered, meaning charges were formally dismissed.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Ford had some parting words for fellow participants of EACH seated in the courtrooms gallery.

I know its hard but if you focus on yourself you will make it, Ford said. Think about your future because if you stay stuck in the past, you will end up doing the same thing.

Carlton Ford speaking with DA Gullini and Judge Maltby after the EACH graduation on Friday, Dec. 15, 2022.

As for the brighter future that Ford is facing, his defense counsel Jeremy Bramson said, There are all kinds of doors, that you might not even think of, that would not be open to somebody with that on their record. Obviously, there are jobs they cant get, schools they wouldnt be able to attend, government assistance that they would not be eligible for, and places they would not be able to live. And its a huge deal not to have it on his record to really do anything he wants.

The sky is the limit for him now, Bramson said.