The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee is the official juvenile justice planning, coordinating, and policy-setting body for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The committee develops a comprehensive, long-range plan and related policies for the Commonwealth's juvenile justice system. Additionally, the group sets priorities for juvenile justice projects supported by PCCD’s various funding streams 

Mission 

"Juvenile Justice: Community Protection; Victim Restoration; Youth Redemption."  

Youth Advisory Board - New!

PCCD's Office of Juvenile Programs (OJP), Delinquency Prevention and Juvenile Justice Unit is looking for current or formerly involved adjudicated youth and families that have been involved in the Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System to become active participants to start a Youth Advisory Board. The Youth Advisory Board will provide youth and families with firsthand Juvenile Justice experience the opportunity to voice concerns, ideas, make recommendations for improvements and share their unique perspectives to both the larger Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Committee and Pennsylvania's communities.  Click HERE to learn more and submit an application for consideration.

JJDPC Racial/Ethnic Disparities (R/ED) Subcommittee

The mission of the JJDPC Racial/Ethnic Disparities (R/ED) Subcommittee, adopted in October 2021, is as follows:

"In response to the overrepresentation and disparate treatment of black and Hispanic children in Pennsylvania's justice systems, we seek to promote equity, justice, and improved outcomes by advocating strategies for policy changes, education programs, funding, and technical assistance at the local and state levels."

The R/ED Subcommittee includes representation from the Department of Human Services, the delinquency intervention arena, juvenile court services, public defenders, education and community-based organizations.   

The JJDPC R/ED Subcommittee is co-chaired by Steve Bishop, Associate Director, Probation and System Transformation Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Rhonda McKitten, JD, Director of the PA DMC Youth/Law Enforcement Corporation.

The R/ED Subcommittee has supported a number of initiatives focused on fulfilling this mission, including developing the Pennsylvania Reducing R/ED in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program in partnership with Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy's Center for Juvenile Justice and the Center for Children's Law and Policy. PCCD has also invested in Juvenile R/ED Coordinators at the county level to facilitate local efforts to promote equity and reduce disparities within the juvenile justice system.

The Subcommittee is also charged with developing Pennsylvania's R/ED plan to submit to OJJDP. Pursuant to the federal Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act at 34 U.S.C. § 11133(a)(15), states and territories must "implement policy, practice, and system improvement strategies at the state, territorial, local, and tribal levels, as applicable, to identify and reduce racial and ethnic disparities among youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system, without establishing or requiring numerical standards or quotas, by— 

(A) Establishing or designating existing coordinating bodies, composed of juvenile justice stakeholders (including representatives of the educational system) at the state, local, or tribal levels, to advise efforts by states, units of local government, and Indian Tribes to reduce racial and ethnic disparities;

(B) Identifying and analyzing data on race and ethnicity at decision points in state, local, or tribal juvenile justice systems to determine which such points create racial and ethnic disparities among youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system; and

(C) Developing and implementing a work plan that includes measurable objectives for policy, practice, or other system changes, based on the needs identified in the data collection and analysis under subparagraph (B)."

The term "racial and ethnic disparity" means minority youth populations are involved at a decision point in the juvenile justice system at disproportionately higher rates than non-minority youth at that decision point.  34 U.S.C. § 11103(41).

Questions about the work of this Subcommittee should be directed to Roi Ligon at roligon@pa.gov or (717) 265-8459. 

Diversion Subcommittee

PCCD’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee (JJDPC) has established a Diversion Subcommittee to promote both the creation of pre-adjudication diversion programs, as well as formal, county-wide policies designed to hold non-violent youthful offenders accountable without proceeding to an adjudication of delinquency or conviction for a summary offense.

Originally created as part of the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative, the Diversion Subcommittee is working to help provide juvenile justice professionals with alternative ways to address the criminogenic needs of young, non-violent offenders, while ensuring that community safety is not compromised.  Use of diversion policies and practices in appropriate cases can reduce the burden on the formal juvenile justice system while still ensuring that juveniles are held responsible for their actions and their victims are restored to the greatest extent possible.  Diversion programs are of special interest for those youth with mental health needs who are better served by identifying and treating the underlying conditions, rather than their becoming involved with the formal juvenile court process.

The co-chairs of the Diversion Subcommittee are George Mosee, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network and Angel Stewart, Director of Administration and Grant Programs with the Juvenile Court Judges' Commission.  Members of the subcommittee are drawn from across the spectrum of the juvenile justice system including probation, prosecutors, public defenders, state agencies such as the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education, the Juvenile Court Judges' Commission, law enforcement, victims' services, and mental health providers. 

Questions about the work of this Subcommittee should be directed to Teresa Wilcox at tewilcox@pa.gov or (717) 265-8721.   

Diversion Subcommittee Members 

Guide to Developing Pre-Adjudication Diversion Policy and Practice in Pennsylvania (PDF) 

The Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist (PDF)  

Family Involvement in Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System (PDF)

System Enhancement Subcommittee

In 2005 the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee established the System Enhancement Subcommittee. This committee is chaired by Keith Snyder, Executive Director of the Juvenile Court Judges Commission.  The original purpose of this Subcommittee was to provide oversight and coordination for three intersecting projects designed to impact and improve the juvenile justice system.

The projects are: "Juvenile Justice System Enhancement/BARJ Training Project" based at the Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research (CJJT&R) at Shippensburg University; and "Research, Analysis and Communications" and "Measuring Intermediate Outcomes of Balanced and Restorative Justice" Projects based at the National Center for Juvenile Justice.

The committee is currently tasked with assessing, monitoring and addressing system wide issues that may affect the juvenile justice system. The committee will prioritize these issues and advise the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee on strategies that could be employed to effect system wide change. 

Questions about the work of this Subcommittee should be directed to Greg Young at gyoung@pa.gov or (717) 265-8495.

System Enhancement Subcommittee Members