Office of Research and Child Advocacy

Who We Are 

PCCD's Office of Research and Child Advocacy currently performs a dual role for PCCD.  First and foremost, the Office serves as the Statistical Analysis Center for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and provides the agency with research and information needed to ensure that the programs supported by PCCD are effective and efficient. 

In addition, the Office has recently taken on the responsibility for supporting the Children's Advocacy Center Advisory Committee and PCCD's child advocacy efforts.

What We Do

• Statistical Analysis Centers (SAC) - PCCD participates in this national, nonprofit network of researchers and practitioners throughout government, academia, and criminal justice organizations. The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics provides SAC-related grants through PCCD, which also evaluates the performance of recipient projects and provides policy-relevant data and research.

• Data Clearinghouse - PCCD sponsors a public clearinghouse for state and county justice statistics, data trends, and PCCD-funded research and evaluations; for example, crime in specific communities, types of offenses, and the number of arrests, incarcerations, and paroles.

• Evaluation Reports - PCCD has produced evaluation reports on numerous justice-related initiatives, from batterer intervention to parenting programs in prison, and from sentencing guidelines to treatment courts.

• The Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) - Sponsored by PCCD, this study, conducted every two years, provides critical information school administrators, state agency directors, legislators, and others use to direct prevention resources to areas of highest impact.

• Endowment Act - PCCD administers funding to support the victims of child sexual abuse throughout the state.

• Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and Multidisplinary Investigative Teams (MDITs)- PCCD  expands child victim access to CAC and MDIT services throughout the Commonwealth.