In August and September, MHAPA’s Luzerne County affiliate, the Advocacy Alliance, in collaboration with the JLC and ELC, held the first two, in a series of three, informational forums for young people and their families traumatized by the Luzerne County juvenile justice scandal.

The purpose of the forums is to gather information about the effects of this trauma and insight regarding reform of the Juvenile Justice System across Pennsylvania. At the end of the series, a report will be crafted and provided to the Interbranch Commission, which will adopt permanent measures to reform Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System.

During the first two forums, participants answered the following question: What ideal characteristics (procedures, practices, policies, etc.), if attained, could make the greatest difference to the future of the juvenile justice system in Luzerne County? Their answers were formed into a list of recommendations that includes:

• Once an offender has served his/her sentence, there should not be any probation period
• Communication throughout the juvenile justice system (prior to sentencing, while in placement, etc.) process should be maintained with parents/guardians
• There should not be any psychiatric medications for individuals under 18 years of age without parental notification and input
• The juvenile justice system must be supportive of parents during these trying times to help the child “turn the corner” to live a productive life; not make the parents and child feel that the system is against them from the start
• The juvenile justice system would place a priority on the need for parents to be heard and offer a multitude of opportunities for parents to speak
• There should be oversight and rules regarding sentencing.
• The punishment should ‘fit the crime’.
• There should be a panel overseeing each case, not just one judge.
• Probation officers, police, judges, and institutional staff working with juveniles should have mandatory training on developmental and learning disabilities.
• Children/adolescents need to have a court appointed adult who helps them through the process and updates parents as to what is happening.

Read the full list of recommendations from the August forum here and September here.

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