Juvenile Court Consulting

Through its Juvenile Court Consultative Program, the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC) provides in-county support and technical assistance to juvenile courts and juvenile probation departments in all 67 counties in the Commonwealth. Each Juvenile Court Consultant is assigned to 16 or 17 regionally organized counties. Their direct consultation enables the JCJC to provide consistent and real-time advice, support, and technical assistance on the proper care and maintenance of delinquent and dependent youth, as well as the standards for administrative practices, personnel practices, and judicial procedures used in juvenile courts and juvenile probation departments; the analysis of data, including diversion, expungements, and racial and ethnic disparity, to ensure program effectiveness and plan for service improvement; and the activities related to compliance with Juvenile Probation Services Grant requirements, including plans to ensure compliance. 

Juvenile Court Consultative Visits

Consultative visits are the hallmark of the Juvenile Court Consultative Program, and they occur multiple times a year. These consultative visits are not audits but are instead a venue to engage in open dialogue. During consultative visits, juvenile court consultants meet with the chief juvenile probation officer and the juvenile probation department’s staff to discuss progress with the department’s Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy implementation, along with current and key juvenile justice issues. Juvenile court consultants also observe juvenile court proceedings and meet with juvenile court judges. County-specific reports are completed to provide juvenile court judges and juvenile probation departments with a summary of their juvenile court consultant’s observations. This report allows juvenile probation departments to address areas for improvement and plan for future activities.

In addition to the consultative visits, juvenile court consultants are available for ad hoc projects, including assistance at regional meetings, stakeholder meetings, and trainings; discussion of issues and challenges faced by juvenile courts and juvenile probation departments; and assistance with yearly strategic planning by juvenile probation departments. Juvenile court consultants act as a direct contact or liaison between juvenile courts, juvenile probation departments, and the JCJC. A juvenile court or juvenile probation department can contact their assigned juvenile court consultant for direction and clarification regarding questions or concerns.