President's Message

Since its inception in 1967 the Council has endeavored to advance the field of juvenile justice. In the early days, the Council was focused on establishing the profession of juvenile probation while distinguishing it from the Department of Public Welfare (DPW). The express purpose of the Council was to develop and promote juvenile probation services in Pennsylvania, which remains a central tenet of todays Council. In 1968, the Council's influence was instrumental in the passage of Senate Bill 677, transferring grant authority from DPW to the Juvenile Court Judges Commission (JCJC). Since that time, the Council and JCJC have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership.

In 1995, Act 33 fundamentally changed Pennsylvania's juvenile justice system, revising the purpose clause of the Juvenile Act to establish our Balanced and Restorative Justice Mission: 

Consistent with the protection of the public interest, to provide for children committing delinquent acts programs of supervision, care and rehabilitation which provide balanced attention to the protection of the community, the imposition of accountability for offenses committed  and the development of competencies to enable children to become responsible and productive members of the community.
     
In June of 2010, at the annual strategic planning meeting, the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers and JCJC agreed to develop the Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy (JJSES).  Shortly thereafter, the JJSES Statement of Purpose was developed to outline our vision:

We dedicate ourselves to working in partnership to enhance the capacity of Pennsylvanias juvenile justice system to achieve its balanced and restorative justice mission by employing evidence-based practices, with fidelity, at every stage of the juvenile justice process; collecting and analyzing the data necessary to measure the results of these efforts; and with this knowledge, striving to continuously improve the quality or our decisions, services, and programs.  Over the last decade the juvenile justice system has been retraining and retooling to incorporate evidence-based practices.   While the JJSES has fundamentally altered the operation of Pennsylvania's juvenile justice system, our sights remain firmly fixed on the BARJ goals. Evidence-based practices do not supplant BARJ; rather, they bolster our ability to attain BARJ goals - - Advancing BARJ through JJSES.
 
The Chiefs' Council remains committed to achieving these goals in partnership with the JCJC, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency,  Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services, Department of Human Services, Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research, Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth & Family Services, Office of Victim Advocate, and the citizens of Pennsylvania. 

The Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers (PCCJPO) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or age and it does not retaliate against persons who file a discrimination complaint or lawsuit, who complain about discrimination; or who participate in a discrimination proceeding, such as being a witness in a complaint investigation or lawsuit.  Complaints may be directed to the PCCJPO Executive Officers here, or to the PA Human Relations Commission at www.phrc.pa.gov.