NCJ Number
98248
Date Published
1984
Length
162 pages
Annotation
This book delineates many juvenile practices and procedures in Pennsylvania, beginning with a history of the State's juvenile justice system and the Juvenile Act upon which it is based.
Abstract
The process of taking juveniles into custody is discussed, and exclusions from jurisdiction are explained. The Juvenile Act provides delinquency grounds for taking a child into custody: arrest, court order, and probation violation. Once a juvenile is in custody, there are processes for notifying and releasing the juvenile to the parents, or delivering the juvenile to a detention or shelter care facility. Legal aspects of the Juvenile Act are discussed, and the lack of clarity in the law regarding plea bargaining is noted. Juvenile court proceedings are divided between adjudication and disposition. At the adjudicatory stage, the jurisdictional basis for the court's authority must be established with respect to the fact that a juvenile committed a delinquent act. At the dispositional hearing, the court must decide which of the specifically enumerated dispositional alternatives is appropriate. Postdispositional rights and procedures such as appeal and postconviction relief are also enumerated. Appendixes on judicial courts by county, counties by judicial districts, and a juvenile court delinquency flow chart are appended, as are samples of 21 relevant forms. Relevant cases are referenced to each chapter.