Downtown Neighborhood, Boston City Crime Index

The historic Downtown is Boston’s commercial and financial district and one of the 23 designated neighborhoods in Boston City Massachusetts. The Downtown neighborhood may be considered generally safe, compared to other more notorious crime spots in Boston. However, the city of Boston recorded 4,572 violent crimes and 13,561 property crimes and residents of Boston city have a 1 in 151 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime or a property crime.

Central Division, Boston Municipal Court

The Boston Municipal Court, Central Division has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in the Downtown neighborhood. The court opens Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located at

Edward W. Brooke Courthouse

24 New Chardon Street

Boston, MA 02114

Phone: (617) 788 - 8465

Email: bmccentral@jud.state.ma.us

Fax: (617) 788 - 8432

According to data compiled by the Boston Municipal Court Department, there were 20,106 filed cases in the Central division of the Boston Municipal Court in the 2020 fiscal year.

The total filings include

• 5,591 Criminal Cases
• 7,211 Criminal Show Case Hearings (hearings held)
• 557 Probation Violation Hearings
• 147 Criminal Search Warrants
• 136 Administrative Search Warrants
• 313 Abuse Prevention Orders
• 2,356 Civil Matters
• 9 Civil remands and other civil cases
• 1,597 Small Claims
• 27 Summary Processes
• 32 Supplementary Processes
• 1,491 Civil Motor Vehicle Infraction (CMVI) hearings held
• 278 judged Civil Motor Vehicle Infraction
• 355 Civil Mental Health Cases
• The Appellate Division handled 6 cases

Eastern Housing Court

The Eastern Housing Court serves the whole of Boston city. It has limited jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases that involve real estate and its uses. The court is at

24 New Chardon Street

Boston, MA 02114

Phone: Housing Specialist Department - (617) 788 - 6233

Clerk’s Office: (617) 788 - 8485

Email: EasternHousingourt@jud.state.ma.us

There were 10,144 case entries filed in the Eastern Housing Court in the 2020 fiscal year. Data compiled by the Housing Court Department revealed

• 333 criminal cases
• 631 civil cases
• 693 probable cause
• 274 small claims
• 4,452 summary processes
• 3 supplementary processes
• 1 search warrant/utility warrant
• 382 issued tickets
• 3,375 alternative dispute resolutions (ADR)

The statistics further highlighted disposed cases in the Eastern Housing Court. They include

• 328 criminal cases
• 545 civil cases
• 732 probable cause
• 278 small claims
• 4,089 summary processes
• 4 supplementary processes
• 1 search warrant/utility warrant
• 345 tickets matters
• 3,375 Alternative Disputes Resolutions (ADR)

In total, the Eastern Housing court disposed of 6,322 cases in the 2020 fiscal year.

Land Court

The Land Court settles matters arising over land titles, landlords/tenants disputes. It also has jurisdiction over the registration of title and property lien matters. The court is located at

3 Pemberton Square

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 788 - 7470

Email: LandCourt.Emergency@jud.state.ma.us

The Land Court Department noted that its total yearly caseload for the 2020 fiscal year was 26,037 consisting of

• 791 Registration/Confirmation cases
• 2,038 Subsequent to Registration
• 7,224 Tax Lien Foreclosure
• 3,824 Miscellaneous
• 11 Permits
• 12,126 Servicemember

Under the Survey Division, the Land Court recorded 721 yearly total plans, including 23 Registration Plans and 698 Subdivision Plans.

Suffolk Probate and Family Court

The Suffolk Probate and Family Court handles cases on divorce, parenting time, child support matters, and other family-related cases and probate matters. The court is at

24 New Chardon Street

Boston, MA 02114

Phone: Probation Department - (617) 788 - 8210

Register’s Office - (617) 788 - 8301

Email: Suffolkquestions@jud.state.ma.us

Fax: Probation Department- (617) 788 - 8957

Register’s Office- (617) 788 - 8962

A total of 11,576 cases were filed with the Suffolk Probate and Family Court in the 2020 fiscal year. They consisted of

• 1,943 Estate Administration
• 524 Change of Name
• 1,244 Guardianship
• 252 Conservatorship
• 112 Equity
• 4,075 Total Probate, Equity, and Change of Name
• 78 Adoption and Welfare
• 247 Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
• 4,135 Divorce and Other Domestic Relations
• 1,008 Contempt
• 1,863 Modification
• 7,501 Abuse Prevention
• 4,824 Total Domestic Relations and Child Welfare

Suffolk County Superior Court

The Suffolk County Superior Court serves the entire Boston, including Downtown Neighborhood, on all felony matters. The court sits at Suffolk County Courthouse

For criminal businesses-

3 Pemberton Square

14th Floor

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 788 - 8160

Email: Suffolkcriminal.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us

Fax: (617) 788 - 7798

For civil businesses-

3 Pemberton Square

12th Floor

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 788 - 8175

Suffolkcivil.clerksoffice@jud.state.ma.us

For criminal businesses (Probation Department)-

3 Pemberton Square

7th Floor

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 788 - 7255

Fax: (617) 788 - 7277

According to a Superior Court Department report, Suffolk County Superior Court had 4,668 total case entries in the 2020 fiscal year. The entries for civil cases were 3,346, and 1,322 criminal cases.

Supreme Judicial Court

The Supreme Judicial Court is the highest appellate court in the Commonwealth. The John Adams Courthouse accommodates the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the Social Law Library. Visitors have access to the John Adams Courthouse from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Supreme Judicial Court and the Appeals Court Clerk’s office opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m. The Social Law Library, on the other hand, is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Courthouse is at

1 Pemberton Square

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: Supreme Judicial Court- (617) 557 - 1000

Appeals Court- (617) 921 - 4443

Social Law Library- (617) 226 - 1500

The most recent case statistics for the Supreme Judicial Court is for the 2018 fiscal year. The total case entries for the year were 194, out of which 14 cases were dismissed. They include

• 102 Direct Entries
• 44 Direct Appellate Review Applications Allowed
• 110 Direct Appellate Review Applications Considered
• 15 Further Appellate Review Applications Allowed
• 726 Further Appellate Review Applications Considered
• 33 Transferred by the Supreme Judicial Court on its Motion from Review of Entire Appeals Court Caseload

Under the Disposition division for the 2018 fiscal year. The statistics revealed

• 145 Full Opinions
• 49 Rescripts
• 194 Total Opinions
• 195 Total Appeals resolved by the Court’s opinion

Appeals Court

The Appeals court has jurisdiction over cases from all Trial Court departments, and three state agencies, including the Appellate Tax Board, the Department of Industrial Accidents, and the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board. The Appeals Court hears both civil and criminal cases except appeals regarding first-degree murder. The John Adams Courthouse houses the Massachusetts Appeals Court which serves Boston’s Downtown neighborhood. The Appeals Court is located at

John Adams Courthouse

1 Pemberton Square

Room 1200

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 921 - 4443

There were 842 civil appeals before the Appeals Court in the 2020 fiscal year,

• 430 cases from the Superior Court
• 100 cases from the Probate & Family Court
• 79 cases from the BMC/District Court
• 91 cases from the Juvenile Court
• 43 cases from Land Court
• 88 cases from the Housing Court
• 10 cases from the Appellate Tax Board
• 10 cases from the Industrial Accident Review Board
• 1 case from the Employment Relations Board
• 20 matters from the Appeals Court Single Justice

There were 736 criminal panel entries in the 2020 fiscal year broken down as

• 388 cases received from the Superior Court
• 303 cases from BMC/District Court
• 30 cases from Juvenile Court
• 15 cases from Appeals Court Single Justice

Also, there were 576 panel decisions on civil cases and 599 on criminal cases.

Emerson College

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Emerson College offers academic programs in communications, arts, and liberal arts. The school is located at

120 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: (617) 824 - 8500

Statistics provided by Campus Safety and Security for 2018 disclosed

• 1 incident of rape, 1 case of aggravated assault, 1 burglary, and 1 case of motor vehicle theft on campus.
• 2 cases of rape and 1 burglary on the on-campus housing facility
• 1 case of fondling, 16 cases of robbery, 6 cases of aggravated assault, and 3 cases of motor vehicle theft.

Suffolk University

Suffolk University is a private institution and highly regarded for its undergraduate, graduate, and law degree programs. The school is at

8 Ashburton Place

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 573 - 8000

The Campus Safety and Security highlighted the crime statistics for Suffolk University in 2018 to include

• 3 rape cases, 1 case of fondling, and 2 burglaries on campus
• 3 rape cases, 1 fondling case, and 1 case of burglary in the on-campus housing facilities
• 2 burglary cases and 1 case of aggravated assault on public property.