NCJ Number
188929
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 81 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 187-205
Date Published
June 2001
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the origins, nature, and effects in Allegheny County (PA) of Pennsylvania’s 1995 juvenile law that redefined the purpose of Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system to incorporate the principles of the Balanced Approach and Restorative Justice (BARJ) philosophy.
Abstract
The governor signed into law Special Session Act 33 of 1995 on November 17, 1995. The BAJR principles on which the law rests require the victim, community, and offender to each receive balanced attention and to gain tangible benefits from their involvement with the juvenile justice system. The restorative justice perspective requires that the justice system give priority to repairing the harm done to victims and communities by holding offenders accountable for their acts and having them take steps to repair the harm. The core elements of the balanced approach are community protection, accountability, competency development, individualization, and balance. Allegheny County has taken a leadership role in the State’s juvenile justice system through numerous BARJ efforts. The court’s mission statement reflects the BARJ paradigm; terminology related to the balanced approach is an integral part of court documentation. In addition, victim services now have an enhanced role in the system, and probation officers and supervisors throughout the country are constantly forming new partnerships with community organizations. The court operated programs focus on the goal of a balanced and restorative system of justice through traditional probation, the specialized school-based probation, the Youth Match after-school program, and other programs. BARJ efforts will continue to evolve in the future through the expansion of current programs and the development of new programs aimed at fulfilling the court’s BARJ mission. 19 references