The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office: A Legacy Of Excellence

Gerry at his inauguration with former Middlesex District Attorneys Tom Reilly, Martha Coakley, and Scott Harshbarger.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has a proud legacy of outstanding service to the people of Middlesex County.

From the successful prosecutions of some our state’s most dangerous criminals to the innovative and effective crime prevention programs that have been initiated by the office, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has been a national leader in its efforts to protect and serve the public.

Recently, a publication of  Lawyers Weekly compiled a list of the Ten Most Notorious criminals in Massachusetts. Of those ten, the Middlesex District Attorney’s office successfully prosecuted and convicted six of those defendants, including Louise Woodward, Eddie O’Brien, and Richard Rosenthal.

The DA’s office has been about much more than prosecuting high-profile murder cases.  The office has worked to successfully take drugs and guns off the streets, and has prosecuted thousands of cases on behalf of victims of child, domestic and sexual abuse.

The office has a strong tradition of implementing innovative crime prevention efforts as well. In the 1980s, then-District Attorney Scott Harshbarger saw the wisdom in partnering with schools to help promote crime prevention to young people. He formed the innovative Project Alliance program as a way to prevent young people from a life of crime and violence.

During a wave of gang and school-based violence in the early 1990s, then-District Attorney Thomas F. Reilly established the Community-Based Justice program, bringing together school personnel, public safety professionals, and social service providers in each community to help identify at-risk kids and provide them with the positive alternatives to steer them away from crime and violence. CBJ became a national model for violence prevention in our schools, and the programs flourish to this day in communities throughout the entire Commonwealth, now being mandated by the legislature.

Former District Attorney Martha Coakley succeeded Reilly and built on his legacy, helping establish the Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to providing prevention and intervention resources and training to Middlesex school districts and communities. Middlesex Partnerships for Youth has hosted hundreds of workshops and training seminars for law enforcement, social service providers, educators and students to help foster an atmosphere of respect and safety for Middlesex youth.

Current District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. continues to build on that legacy, fostering a community and school-based approach to prevention and prosecution efforts. He has implemented a program by which all district court prosecutors are now responsible for individual communities. Through this program, they become ingrained in that community by handling cases, working on community-based intervention and prevention initiatives, and directing the CBJ programs. This approach maintains and develops consistency of case assignments, gives prosecutors a stronger commitment and knowledge of the community they serve, and also provides those cities and towns with a consistent voice and contact with our office.