Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee (JJDPC)

The mission of the JJDPC Youth Engagement Subcommittee is as follows:  “To unify and empower youth from across the Commonwealth who have been impacted by juvenile justice policies and utilize their voice and lived experience to help guide improvements in the Juvenile Justice System.”  The Youth Engagement Subcommittee includes representation from youth and adults who have lived experience (personally or professionally) in youth serving systems across Pennsylvania.  Additionally, youth from the various Youth Justice Advisory Boards (YJABs) are standing guests on the subcommittee.

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

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 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).

Change contact to Jessica Barnett, jesbarnett@pa.gov or (717)265-8732