Pennsylvania Juvenile Defenders

Website made possible with the generous support of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Publications and Resources

Pennsylvania Juvenile Collateral Consequences Checklist

Performance Guidelines for Quality and Effective Juvenile Delinquency Representation

Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure: Delinquency Matters

The Juvenile Act 2008

Northeast Regional Defender Center

In order to increase the capacity of the grassroots juvenile defense bar across the country, the National Center incorporated into its design the development of nine Regional Defender Centers. The Northeast Region includes the following four states: Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

State and Local Defender Sites

Common Characteristics of Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

The majority of the girls involved with the juvenile justice system have similar backgrounds.

School failure (poor grades, truancy, suspensions, special education needs not being met)

92% of girls in juvenile detention reported between one to three school failures and 85% had been suspended or expelled at least once. (Study conducted by the National Council of Crime and Delinquency)
In a Florida Study having uneven grades was the single most important risk factor for becoming a repeat offender for girls.

Physical Victimization

40-73% if girls in the juvenile justice system have been physically abused. In the general US population only 26% of teenage girls report physical abuse. (Coalition for Juvenile Justice)
Homicide is the second leading cause of death for 15-19 year old females and the leading cause of death for 15-19 year old African-American females.

Sexual Victimization

It has been estimated that up to 40% of girls in the general public but 90% of girls in secure detention have been victims of sexual abuse.
Girls who reported experiencing three or more different types of physical/sexual abuse were significantly more likely to have engaged in sex with five or more partners.

Witness to violence

More than 58% of girls in a National Council on Crime and Delinquency study reported having witnessed violence, usually in their household.

Substance Abuse (alcohol and/or drugs)

Studies show that 60-87% of adolescent female offenders need substance abuse treatment. (Prescott, L. (1998). Improving Policy and Practice for Adolescent Girls with Co-occurring Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System. GAINS Center: Delmar, NY.)

Minority

African-American girls comprise nearly half of all of those in secure detention and Latinas 13 percent. (Guiding Principles for Promising Female Programming)

Family Fragmentation

Death of Parent
Parent Incarcerated
Living outside of biological family

Family History of Incarceration

A girlâ€™s risk of committing a personal offense increases nearly three times if she has an incarcerated parent.

Gang Involvement

Girl gang members are at an increased risk of unsafe sex, sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, substance abuse and suicide.

In the mid-1990â€™s, the government estimated that 11% of gang members were female. More recent studies have determined that approximately 6% of gang members are female. Many, but not all, female gangs are involved in some sort of criminal activity, but female gangs engage in fewer violent crimes than male gangs.
Female Gangs: A focus on Research