NCJ Number
173693
Journal
Pennsylvania Progress Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: June 1997 Pages: -
Date Published
1997
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper highlights the achievements of the Westmoreland County (Pennsylvania) Youth Commission program, which is designed to divert a first-time juvenile offender who commits a minor offense from formal processing in the juvenile court; it also discusses a variety of structural models the program has assumed in other Pennsylvania counties.
Abstract
The Youth Commission program is administered through the juvenile probation office. Youth Commissions in Westmoreland County are composed of between 8 to 16 volunteer community members appointed by the Juvenile Court Judge. Volunteers are trained in such matters as the devising of a contract, responsibilities in ensuring contract conditions are completed satisfactorily, and confidentiality requirements. The Commissions meet once a month at a local site (often a school administration or municipal building) to hear cases. Upon assessing the circumstances of a particular offense, the Commission may order a variety of dispositions, including a curfew, placing the youth on supervision for up to 6 months, ordering community service, and referring the youth for additional services through the school district's Student Assistance Program or in-home counseling service. As a mandatory condition of every contract established by a Commission, the youth must provide weekly or monthly progress reports to the Commission. Failure to abide by a Commission contract may result in referral of the case to juvenile court for formal processing. Variations on the Westmoreland County model are described for five other Pennsylvania counties. Components of a successful Youth Commission program are outlined, and future directions are discussed.