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Since Sept. 2010, Massachusetts has been in violation of a federal law requiring courthouses to protect juveniles from being verbally abused or threatened by adult inmates in courthouse holding areas. This has resulted in annual penalties that slashed about $500,000 in grant money intended for at-risk youth and intervention programs in the Massachusetts juvenile justice system. It's a problem that will cost $1.34 million to fix 11 “high priority” courts, as Massachusetts officials sought — and failed to receive — a waiver from those penalties from the Justice Department.