Judicial Services Report 2016, 225th Anniversary Edition

Our Mission The mission of the Lancaster County Office of Juvenile Probation shall be to, in accordance with the Juvenile Act and the Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure, provide balanced attention to the protection of the community, the imposition of accountability to repair the harm to victims of juvenile offenders, and the development of competencies to enable children to become re- sponsible and productive members of the community and to do so while treating all parties with dignity and respect, affording all that their constitutional and legal rights are recognized and enforced.

Director David Mueller

Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) One of the most significant reforms in the history of Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system occurred in 1995, when the purpose of the system was fundamentally redefined during a special legislative session on crime. The Juvenile Act now states that the purpose of Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system is:

“… to provide for children committing delinquent acts programs of supervision, care, and rehabilitation which provide bal- anced attention to the protection of the community, the imposition of accountability for offenses committed, and the develop- ment of competencies to enable children to become responsible and productive members of the community. ”

Act 33 of Special Session No. 1 of 1995 amended the purpose clause of Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Act to establish balanced and restorative justice as the philosophical and theoretical framework for Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system. The statute clearly defined three goals for Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system:

the protection of the community;

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x the imposition of accountability to repair the harm to victims for offenses committed; x the development of competencies to enable children to become responsible and productive members of the community.

Since the statute’s enactment, The Office of Juvenile Probation has devoted a great deal of time and resources to imple- ment policies, practices, and programs that advance BARJ and to accomplish the goals embodied in Act 33.