Presiding over the Juvenile Court and Juvenile Probation Division is the Honorable William F. Moran, Administrative Juvenile Court Judge.  Also presiding over juvenile court hearings are the Honorable F. P. Kimberly McFadden, President Judge, Honorable Anthony S. Beltrami and Honorable Leonard N. Zito. 

Juvenile Court Dispositions and Hearings
In 2008, the Juvenile Probation Department received 1138 referrals, , which represents an eighteen percent (18%) decrease from the previous year.    The Juvenile Probation Department receives referrals from local and state police departments, and magisterial district judge’s offices.  These referrals are processed in a manner consistent with Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Act and The Pa. Supreme Court Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure.  Initially, an intake hearing is held, with all interested parties notified to be present.  A juvenile has all the rights afforded an adult in the criminal justice system.  At the intake hearing a decision is made to either handle the case informally or refer the case to court, based on the following factors; seriousness of the offense, juvenile’s attitude, stability of the family, the juvenile's school and community adjustment.

For juveniles who are admitting their involvement, and further court action is warranted, an Adjudication Hearing is held to formalize their statement and enter a plea.  A Pre-Adjudication Conference (PAC) is held in contested matters and is intended to provide an opportunity for counsel to conduct appropriate plea negotiations, and resolve discovery issues.  Contested hearings are lengthy juvenile non-jury trials where the judge determines innocence or guilt.  Dispositions are the heart of the Juvenile Court System.  A social investigation is prepared by the probation officer that summarizes the juvenile’s family relationships, behavior patterns, including past and present delinquency, drug and alcohol usage, school progress, and impact on the victim and community.  This social investigation is used to assist the Juvenile Court Judge in reaching an appropriate disposition.  The Juvenile Court Judge seeks a balance of accountability, community protection, and treatment for the juvenile offender.  Disposition alternatives available to the Juvenile Court include: Informal Probation, Consent Decree, Official Probation, Intense Probation, and Residential Placement where the child is removed from their home and placed in both open and secure settings.  Approximately six hundred (600) juveniles are on probation supervision during the year and slightly more than one hundred (100) juveniles are placed.

The juvenile probation officer is a highly trained professional that adhere to the principles and philosophy of the redefined Juvenile Act of Pennsylvania.  Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system is charged with providing programs of supervision, care and rehabilitation that provide balanced attention to the protection of our community, the imposition of accountability for offenses committed by juveniles, and the development of competencies to enable children who come within the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system to become responsible and productive members of our community. The mission of Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system is based on the principles of “balanced and restorative justice”, which gives priority to repairing the harm done to crime victims and communities, while holding offenders accountable for their wrongdoing. The Northampton County Juvenile Probation Department has developed strategies and programs to implement and support the “balanced approach” philosophy in treating juveniles under its supervision.

In 2008, more outpatient services to juveniles on court supervision were provided at any time in our history. This was accomplished without additional adjudicated care funds.  Part of the reason this trend continued from the previous year is a result of the statewide shift to evidence based community-based services such as, Functional Family Therapy (FFT) and Multi-systemic Therapy (MST).  The Department of Public Welfare in a redefined mission has provided higher levels of state fund to support these evidence based programs, which has increased Northampton Counties ability to provide more community-based services to the juvenile population we serve.

Goals
The three primary goals of the Juvenile Court as it relates to the principles of “balanced and restorative justice” are as follows:

Goal #1: Accountability: To Hold Juvenile Offenders Accountable For Offenses Committed

When a crime is committed, an obligation to the victim and community is incurred.  Victims are active participants in the juvenile justice process.  Victims and communities have their losses restored through the efforts of the Juvenile Probation Office and the actions of juvenile offenders in making reparation and restitution, and participating in structured activities (Community Service) that benefit the community. 

Goal #2 Community Protection: To Protect the Community From Known Juvenile Offenders

The public has a right to a safe and secure community and must be protected during the time the juvenile is under the supervision of the juvenile justice system.  The Juvenile Probation Office possesses a wide range of supervision and control alternatives geared to the varying risks presented by juvenile offenders. Coordinated service delivery ensures that treatment objectives remain standard and consistent.  When the efforts to maintain the juvenile probationer in the community have failed, the Juvenile Justice Center Treatment Unit has proven to be a vital community-based treatment facility that has linked the Juvenile Probation Department to residential treatment. Juvenile Probation has been able to oversee and provide on-going input into the treatment planning of juveniles placed at the Juvenile Justice Center.   

Goal #3: Competency Development: To Assist Juvenile Offenders In Developing Competencies

Juvenile offenders engaged in competency development activities which enhance educational achievement, the development of family relationships, and access to stable work roles, are all important to the maturation process and reduction in crime.  We believe that the approach taken by the Juvenile Probation Office in the area of intensive community-based probation practices and community-based residential treatment places rehabilitation in the context of community, a guiding principle in restorative justice.  Philosophically the Juvenile Probation Office and the Juvenile Justice Center work in concert with each other providing a seamless treatment approach for juvenile offenders and their families.

Statistics

Contracted Services
The Probation Department utilizes community resources, which provide specialized services that are tailored to the individual needs of the juvenile offender and their families.  The following community resources enhance probation services:

Belen Counseling Services – provides community-based individual and family counseling with special emphasis giving to the Latino population. 

Center for Arson Research, Inc. – provide fire-setter evaluations for the Court.

Center for Humanistic Change – provides group counseling programs for at-risk juvenile offender and training topics for juvenile probation officers.

Children’s Home of Reading: Community Supervision Program – facilitates groups for at-risk juvenile offenders on Intense Probation and provides individual counseling for juvenile probation clients.

Community Commitment, Inc. – individual and family counseling.

Community Service Foundation – provides educational day treatment programming and staff training.

Community Solutions, Inc. – provides Multisystemic Therapy (MST) for juvenile offenders and their families.

Cornell Abraxas: Supervised Home Services – pre and post placement services (drug and alcohol related) individual and family counseling.

Forensic Consulting Associates – provide sexual behavioral evaluations for the Court.

Lehigh Valley Drug and Alcohol Assessment Unit – provides drug and alcohol evaluation, and referrals to both inpatient and outpatient counseling programs.

Marijuana Awareness Program – educational group counseling program for juvenile offenders in the early stage of marijuana use. (link)

Pinebrook Services for Children and Youth – Family-based Mental Health Services (FBMHS) are short-term therapeutic and case management services designed to provide assistance to families in their own homes.

Private Psychiatrist – Dr. Larry Dumont, psychiatric evaluations and consultations.

Private Psychologist – Dr. Arthur Eisenbuch, risk assessments, psychological evaluations and individual counseling.

Reading Specialists – provides sexual behavioral evaluations, individual and group counseling for clients dealing with sexual behavioral concerns. 

Spanish Speaking Council of the Lehigh Valley - provides individual and group counseling, as well as life skills education and after-school tutoring.

Valley Youth House –operates a 24-hour residential shelter program, in addition to various individual and family counseling programs.  In 2005, the Valley Youth House in conjunction with the Juvenile Probation Office secured a two-year grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to provide Functional Family Therapy (FFT) service to at-risk clients.  The grant was extended to 2010.

In 2007, more outpatient services to juveniles on court supervision were provided at any time in our history. This was accomplished without additional adjudicated care funds.  Part of the reason this trend continued from the previous year is a result of the statewide shift to evidence based community-based services such as, Functional Family Therapy (FFT), Multisystemic Therapy (MST), and Family Group Decision Making (FGDM).  The Department of Public Welfare in a redefined mission has provided higher levels of state fund to support these evidence based programs, which has increased Northampton Counties ability to provide more community-based services to the juvenile population we serve.

The Northampton County Juvenile Probation Department, as an alternative to residential placement, adopted Intensive Probation in 1975.  Intensive Probation is a highly successful community-based program characterized by high levels of contact and intervention by probation officers with strict conditions of compliance.  Intensive Probation Officers work with a small caseload of approximately twenty (20) hard-to-reach juvenile offenders. Intensive Probation is an enhancement to traditional probation services.  There are increased face-to-face (3 times per week) contacts between the probation officer, juvenile and his or her family, closer monitoring of the juvenile’s activities and more frequent evaluations of the juvenile’s progress.  In addition to the high level of contact and close supervision of intensive cases, individual and group counseling is provided to the juveniles.  At least 30% of the probation officer’s contacts with the juvenile are after normal working hours.  Technology, such as, electronic monitoring and urine testing has enhanced the probation department’s ability to monitor these juveniles’ activities.  Electronic monitoring is state of the art computer technology, which requires the juvenile to wear a non-removable ankle bracelet, which must be worn on a twenty-four (24) hour per day basis for a duration ordered by the court.  In most cases, a minimum of thirty (30) days of strict electronic monitoring is ordered.  The juvenile is confined to their residence at all times, unless otherwise authorized by the Northampton County Juvenile Probation Department.  Electronic monitoring has not been used exclusively for intensive probation; it has also been used as an alternative to detention, and augment regular probation services.  Urine testing provides the department with a means of monitoring a juvenile’s drug and/or alcohol usage while on probation. Urine testing is used by all of the probation officers in the department, however, more frequently by intensive officers.  Intensive Probation has proven to be an extremely cost-effective program for certain types of juvenile offenders, because successful completion of Intense Probation avoids a costly out-of-home juvenile placement.  The cost of juvenile placements ranges between $80.00 and $350.00 per day.

Victim Restitution Collection
The Northampton County Juvenile Court and its juvenile probation officers are committed to the principals of restorative justice. Priority is given to repairing harm done to victims and communities by providing the means for juvenile offender accountability and victim satisfaction. A program of restitution collection and paid community service help to teach juveniles responsibility and furthers the process of rehabilitation. The trend continues that a small number of juveniles account for a large percentage of the outstanding restitution balance. Juveniles are not generally capable of earning the large sums of money necessary to satisfy these types of financial obligations. Additionally, the low economic status of the parents of juvenile offenders makes it difficult for them to take on the responsibility of restitution payments. In many of these cases involving large sums of money, insurance companies have paid the victim. The victim shifts from the actual victim to an insurance company. This does not change the fact that the juvenile is still responsible for paying the restitution to the insurance company. However, victim satisfaction, which is considered an important part of Juvenile Court, is high. The juvenile probation office has instituted a process for collecting outstanding restitution balances by filing judgements with the Prothonotary’s office. In addition, because of Act 86 of 2000, also known as the “Bill of Rights” for victims of juvenile crime, which went into effect on December 29, 2000, has caused a philosophical shift in the juvenile court where increased attention to victims has become a common practice for judges, probation officers and prosecutors.

Community Work Service
Accountability is one of the main aspects of having juveniles perform community work service.  We strive to promote a positive, rewarding work experience for juveniles assigned community work service.  Juveniles are assigned to perform between 20-150 hours of volunteer community work service.  For many of these individuals, this is their first contact with the world of work.  Juveniles learn the importance of showing up on time, taking direction from an individual other than a parent and/or teacher, and how to work with others.  On a number of occasions, juveniles have completed their community work service and have been offered employment.  This type of working relationship benefits both the juvenile and the community.
           

Court Divisions & Operations