If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. C/l-Si./l I- 5"--1-1'1 This microfiche was produced from documents received for inclusion in the NCJRS data base. Since NCJRS cannot exercise control over the physical condition of the documents submitted, the individual frame quality will vary. The resolution chart on Pennsylvania's this frame may be used to evaluate the document quality. Criminal Justice System: 5 1.0 1111/3. AN OVERVIEW 1.1 I 111111.25 111111.4 111111.6 MICROCOPY R~SOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS·1963·" Microfilming procedures used to create this fiche comply with the standards set forth in 41CFR 101-11.504. :,-~ Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the author(s) and do not represent the official' position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice. National Institute of Justice' United States Deparimertt of Justice I\1arch, 1984 ... Washington, D. C. ,20!;31, PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSION ON CRIME AND DELINQUENCY , IJl2?l~4' I , cl' ~''i'"'' ·<>.;:'-='~~~'t:..-::::::'_' __ ' ..... ... ~-~--~----.- r 93!57 !l\( \~ l! ~ I I ! PENNSYLVANIA'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: .. AN OVERVIEW 1 I l MARCH, 1984 t " PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSION ON CRIME AND DELINQUENCY P. o. Box 1167, Federal Square Station Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17108-1167 ! 93857 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice Alfred Blumstein James Thomas This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the Chairman Executive Director person or organization orlglnaling iI. Points of view or opinions stated In this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or pOlicies of the Nalional Institute of Justice. Permission 10 reproduce this copyrighted material has been Proj ect Staff !j[!Inted by.··. • •• pennsylvan~a Commiss~on on crJ..Ire & Delinquency John Kunkle Stephen Spangenberg to the National Criminal Just/ce Reference Service (NCJRS). Richarq. Trynoski Further reproduct/on outside of the NCJRS system requires permls· slon of the copyright owner. --1 PREFACE The governmental response to street crime in Pennsylvania is a multi-faceted approach involving primarily state and local agencies. The purpose of this document is to provide basic information about Pennsylvania's Criminal Justice System. This report describes how the system is designed to work by functional component citing the agencies which are responsible for maintenance of the system. i During the spring of 1983, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and I Delinquency, in response to a request from the legislative leadership, I prepared a briefing paper on the criminal justice system for presentation I to freshman legislators. Based upon the favorable reaction to this initial document, the Commission surveyed state criminal justice agencies to determine the need for a primer describing the operation of the criminal justice system. With input from these agencies, the document was expanded to its present form. It is hoped that this report will fill the need of state agencies responsible for the training of criminal justice personnel for a basic text ( and resource document. This report should also be useful to criminal justice personnel desiring to review the operation of portions of the system other than their own and to educating individuals unfamiliar with the system and its operation. I The information contained herein was gleaned principally from the annual reports published by the respective agencies. Due to the complexities inherent in the system and a desire to provide a concise document, the material presented should be regarded as a highlight of the system rather than an exhaustive review. In addition, this report is based upon the information available as of I December 1983. The reader must keep in mind that the criminal justice system and its components are not static. Administrative, legislative and judicial actions and the concerns of the public continually bring change to the system. " Caution should be exercised in using this document as a source of legislative mandates or judicial procedural rules since these are subject to constant change. Where appropriate, citations are provided as a guide to reference material that may be used to obtain the most current information. Some of the terms used in describing the sY,etem may not be familiar to the reader. A glossary of terms has been offered as Appendix A to facilitate an understanding of the material pr~sented. The following information will hopefully provide a practical base of knowledge about our criminal justice system as well as a handy reference to pertinent facts concerning the dimensions of Pennsylvania's resJ?onse to crime. and the criminal offender. i \ 1.I .... I 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS IX. The State Budget and Criminal Justice Budget Program Summary ...................................... 58 I. Crime in Pennsylvania ................................................................................ .. 1 x. Appendix A II. The Criminal Justice System ~ Process and }fanpower •••••••••.••• 5 Glossary of Terms - Alphabetic listing of criminal III. Law Enforcement ............. ~ ........................ CI ............................ L ...................... .. 10 justice terminologJT ......................................... 63 XI. Office of Attorney General ••••••••••••••••• 12 Appendix B Pennsylvania State Police •••••••••••••••••• 13 A list of the state associations affiliated ~7ith the IV. Courts ................ 0 ......................................... Il ............................. .. 15 various criminal justice components •.•.•••..•••••••••• ....... 73 Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts ••••••••••••••••••• 22 Prosecution ••••••••••••• 23 Public Defense •••••••••. .. ................... 23 Support Personnel •••••••••• .. .. .. • 0 ................................................. 24 V. Institutional Corrections ......•....•.•.•..•.......••........•. 25 Bureau of Correction.................................................. .. .......... .. 25 County Prisons and Jails ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 28 Division of Forensic Services ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 29 VI. Non-Institutional Corrections •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 31 Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole .•••••••••••••• 31 County Probation and Parole •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 32 VII. The Juvenile Justice System.................................... 34 r ! Juvenile Ac t .................................................................................................... .. 34 I Contact ~ith Juvenile Justice Agencies ••••• 35 Juvenile Court ........................................................ .. 36 ! Detention ............................ .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. • • • • • • • • • • • II •••••••••• 37 j Adjudication ••••••••••••• .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 t Disposition •••••••••••• 40 ( Juvenile Probation •••• 42 1 Insti tutions .................................................. 43 Juvenile Court Judges' Commission.......... • ••• 44 Office of Children, Youth and Families ••••.•••••••••••••••••••• 46 I I VIII. Other S ta te Agencies ...................... ., ................... 48 ri Commission on Crime and Delinquency •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 48 .1 Commission on Sentencing............ ••••••• •• 52 Crime Victim's Compensation Board........ • •••••• 53 1 Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence ••••••••••••• 54 Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape................... •• 54 Board of Pardons ....................................... 55 f.. Crime Commission ......................... ~ .......•............. 57 • ! \ I ii II 0 iii d~ CRIME IN PENNSYLVANIA -1 I There are two methods currently employed to measure the incidence of I 1 crime. The method most widely recognized observes crimes reported to ,j police as reflected in the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). A second method ~ relies upon what are referred to as victimization data, which are gathered by the Bureau of the Census as part of the National Crime Survey and reflect both reported and unreported crimes. There are advantages and disadvantages inherent in both systems of reporting. I The UCR is compiled on an annual basis, is usually available in May I following the calendar year reported, and is reported by local I jurisdiction. Its limitation is that only crimes reported to the police , '1 are reflected. This is a major drawback since the victimization surveys suggest that collectively less than half of all crime is reported to police. The. following table offers the relationship of reported and If, unreported crime for 1980. I PERCENT OF VICTIMIZATIONS REPORTED TO THE POLICE.19Se I PERSONAL CRIMES RAPE :1 ROBBERY S6.9" 'Il ASSAULT PERSONAL LARCENY CRIMES BURGLARY 61.3" HOUSEHOLD LARCENY HOTOR HICLE "9.3" se lee The extent of the underreporting problem points to a need for greater citizen involvement in and reliance upon the criminal justice system. Functioning of the system is primarily in reaction to its knowledge of criminal acts. Since the system is dependent upon the general citizenry for the vast majority of such knowledge, it is critical that citizens come fOI""N'ard and take an active role in preventing and reporting crimes and assisting in the prosecution of cri:n:l.nals. 1 ~------------ r-------- q flj I j -1 The drawbacks attendant to the use of victimization data for I, The juvenile population is following the downward trend. According to analytical purposes lie in the manner of disseminating results of the Bureau