By Jill Harmacinski
The Salem News
SALEM, Mass. — Philip Chism, 16, is on trial as an adult for the first-degree murder of his math teacher two years ago.
There’s a county jail a short distance from Salem Superior Court on Federal Street, where Chism’s trial began Nov. 16. But because that lockup is not for juveniles, Essex County correctional officers must travel 240 miles a day to transport Chism to and from a secure juvenile facility in Worcester.
Although Chism is being tried as an adult, by law he must be held in an appropriate juvenile facility. In Chism’s case, that’s in Worcester, about 60 miles from Salem, said Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins.
Middleton House of Correction on Manning Avenue in Middleton is 81/2 miles from Salem Superior Court. But, Cousins explained, Chism cannot be held there because the jail does not have a holding facility for juveniles charged with violent crimes.
“He is a juvenile. We don’t hold juveniles ... But we still have custody of him,” Cousins said.
Each day, a special team of correctional officers, which Cousins refers to his “A Team,” leaves at 4:45 a.m. from the Middleton jail, which is about 80 miles from Worcester, to get Chism.
With traffic and security procedures at the juvenile lockup, Cousins said the morning trek often takes a couple of hours. The officers then bring Chism back to the courthouse, he said.
Dressed in suits, the security team remains in the courthouse, sitting in the courtroom gallery every day. The trial moves into its 10th day Friday.
Every afternoon when the trial recesses, Chism is taken back to Worcester by the team.
Cousins said it’s unclear how much Chism’s transportation will cost.
“We have to make sure justice is served properly. It’s got to be done,” Cousins said.
Following his arrest two years ago, Chism was initially held in a Boston-area Department of Youth Services facility.
In June 2014, Chism allegedly attacked a female worker at the facility. He was transferred to the lockup in Worcester after that incident.
In Essex County, a future juvenile holding facility is eyed for a location near the Middleton jail, Cousins said.
Copyright 2015 The Salem News