The Juvenile Court Judges' Commission
The Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC) was established by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1959. The commission is comprised of nine Pennsylvania juvenile court judges. Members of the commission are nominated by the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and appointed by the Governor for three-year terms.
As part of the Pennsylvania Executive Branch, the JCJC is statutorily responsible for:
- Advising juvenile courts concerning the proper care and maintenance of delinquent and dependent children;
- Establishing standards governing the administrative practices and judicial procedures used in juvenile courts;
- Establishing personnel practices and employment standards used in probation offices;
- Collecting and analyzing data to:
- Identify trends; determine the effectiveness of programs and practices to ensure the reasonable and efficient administration of the juvenile court system;
- Make recommendations concerning evidence-based programs and practices to judges and other appropriate entities;
- Publishing juvenile court data and related information on the JCJC’s publicly accessible internet website; and
- Administering annual grants to improve county juvenile probation services.
The enactment of Act 33 of Special Session No. 1 of 1995 statutorily established Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) as the mission of Pennsylvania's juvenile justice system. BARJ provides the JCJC with a clear foundation upon which to execute its responsibilities.
Community Protection: The public has a right to be and feel safe from crime. Community protection occurs when the juvenile justice system effectively identifies, manages, and minimizes the risk of continued crime and delinquency from known juvenile offenders.
Accountability: Youth who commit crimes in Pennsylvania incur obligations to their victims and the communities they harm. The juvenile justice system's role is to provide opportunities for juvenile offenders to be held responsible for repairing the harm caused by their delinquent behavior.
Competency Development: The process by which juvenile offenders acquire the knowledge and skills that make it possible for them to become productive, connected, and law-abiding members of their communities. The role of the juvenile justice system is to facilitate efforts and activities that advance youths' competencies so they are less likely to take part in antisocial delinquent behaviors.
Through a comprehensive reform effort known as the Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy (JJSES), the JCJC works in partnership with system stakeholders to enhance the capacity of Pennsylvania's juvenile justice system to achieve its BARJ mission by employing evidence-based practices with fidelity at every stage of the juvenile justice process, collecting and analyzing data necessary to measure the results of these efforts, and with this knowledge, striving to continuously improve the quality of our decisions, services, and programs.
The Center for Juvenile Justice Training & Research
The Center for Juvenile Justice Training & Research (CJJT&R) has been located at Shippensburg University since 1982. The CJJT&R was created as an education and research arm of the JCJC. The JCJC’s Professional Development and Detention Monitoring programs and the Information Technology Division are based at the CJJT&R. The Professional Development program includes the JCJC-sponsored Graduate Education Program, offered in conjunction with Shippensburg University’s Criminal Justice Department since 1982, shortly after the CJJT&R’s establishment. Additionally, Shippensburg University administers grants supporting the Professional Development program, the Secure Detention Monitoring program, and the Information Technology Division.
Juvenile Justice System Partnerships
The JJSES’s Statement of Purpose declares that Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice professionals should dedicate themselves to working in partnership to enhance the capacity of the juvenile justice system to achieve its BARJ mission by:
- Employing evidence-based practices with fidelity at every stage of the juvenile justice process;
- Collecting and analyzing the data necessary to measure the results of these efforts; and
- Striving to continuously improve the quality of decisions, services, and programs.
The JCJC collaborates with federal, state, and local partners to meet this purpose. These partnerships include, but are not limited to, justice-involved youth and families with lived experience and the following agencies and organizations:
- Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts
- Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services
- County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania
- Office of Children and Families in the Courts
- Office of Children, Youth, and Families
- Pennsylvania Academic, Career and Technical Training Alliance
- Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges
- Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers
- Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Families
- Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and its Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee
- Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association
- Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania