Attorney Alpert recently submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of the Youth Advocacy Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services urging that a child’s first minor misdemeanor offense must always be dismissed. The legislature had clearly required this, creating this legislation based on data showing that any involvement with the criminal system increases a child’s chances of offending later on. But here, the government had charged a more serious offense, not just a minor misdemeanor. After a trial, the jury found that the child committed only a minor misdemeanor but the government still sought to have the child sentenced. The SJC agreed with the child and adopted the position advocated by Attorney Alpert and other amici: the minor misdemeanor must be dismissed after trial.