What Does the System Do?
Juvenile Justice
What Does the System Do?
The juvenile justice system is responsible for dealing with allegations of delinquency for youths between the ages of 10 and 18 and for supervising youth when the court has ordered treatment, rehabilitation, or detention. In the past, when a juvenile committed a crime, the court was most concernedwith who committed the crime, which laws were broken, andhow to punish offenders so they didn’t do it again. Today,the juvenilejustice system wants to make sure that in addition to not committing more crimes,offenders learn to be responsible for their actions and becomeproductive citizens.
In Greene County, the Probation Office is responsible for overseeing juvenile justiceservices, including initial screening, predisposition investigation, probation supervision, and “aftercare” or post-commitment supervision. The Probation Office is committed to protecting the safety of the public, addressing the needs of crime victims, improving county juvenile/adult probation and parole services, and assisting in the fair administration of justice by ensuring the custody, control, and treatment of offenders under the jurisdiction of the county.
Juvenile Probation supervises youths and families. Juvenile probation officers are the primary point of contact, beginning with intake and ending with case closing. Probation Officers develop a plan to help the youth and his or her family work out their problems. Juvenile Probation also makes progress reports to the court and recommendations on sentencing and probation.
Youth usually become involved with the juvenile justice system because they have participated in some form of delinquent activity that has been reported by the police. Other sources of referral to the system include, district justices, probation officers, local Children and Youth agencies, parents, schools, and victims. Once an allegation has been made, the youth is assigned a probation officer. The probation officer will ask for basic information as part of the intake process. S/he will review the allegations and decide how to proceed with the case. Less serious cases are diverted from the formal judicial process to programs that help hold the offender accountability for his or her actions, such as community service programs.
The Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over delinquency cases. If a case goes to court, the Juvenile Act of PA gives the court the authority to commit adjudicated youth to placement in public or private facilities for detention, rehabilitation, and/or treatment. Probation officers supervise youth while they are in placement. The court makes the decisions about when to release the youth from placement. The Probation Office provides aftercare services to youth who are returning to the community from placement.
Who’s Who in the System?
There are many people that you may interact with as part of the juvenile justice system, including the following:
Probation officer
A probation officer is an official of the court whose job is to give help and advice to people on probation after committing a crime and to check that they are behaving well. Youth are assigned a probation officer once an allegation has been made.
Judge
A judge is someone whose job is make decisions in a court of law.
Juvenile court judge
A juvenile court judge is a judge of a Court of Common Pleas who is assigned to hear juvenile matters.
Magisterial district judge
A magisterial district judge is a judge in a court for minor crimes. A magisterial district judge is also known as a magistrate or a district justice.
District attorney
A district attorney is a lawyer who works for county government and whose job is to bring people accused of crimes to trial.
Defense attorney
A defense attorney is a lawyer who “defends” or represents a person accused of crimes in court.
Public defender
A public defender is a lawyer who is paid by the government to defend people in court if they cannot pay themselves.
What are the Rights and Responsibilities That I Need to Know About?
Under the Juvenile Act of PA and through the 14thAmendment of the U.S. Constitution, there are procedures and safeguards to ensure the just, equal, and lawful treatment of all youth at every stage of the justice system. This is referred to as “due process of law” and includes the following rights:
- Right to notice – This includes being advised ina timely manner ofthe charges being brought against the youth and notice to the youth’s parents when s/he is taken into custody.
- Miranda rights - When taken into custody for an alleged act of juvenile delinquency, youth must be warned before questioning that they have a right to remain silent, that any statement made may be used as evidence against them, and that they have a right to either appointed or retained counsel.
- Right to legal counsel at all stages of any proceeding.
- Right to introduce evidence in one’s own behalf.
- Right to cross-examine witnesses.
Pennsylvania law states that juveniles may not be admitted to secure detention before an adjudication of delinquency unless detention is required to:
- Protect person or property;
- Protect the juvenile; or
- Ensure the juveniles attendance at hearings.
Detention can also be court-ordered because of “extraordinary and exceptional circumstances.” The law does not prohibit the placing of a delinquent youth in secure detention as a consequence forviolating probation.
A detention hearing must be held within 72 hours of admission, and a hearing on the merits or a mandatory release must be within 10 days. A petition must be filed within 24 hours after the detention hearing is held.
All hearings under the Juvenile Act must be recorded by some means, whether through the use of a court reporter, tape recorder, or other mechanical recording device or through the Court taking full minutes of the proceedings.
What Special Programs are Available in Greene County?
The following special program is offered in Greene County.
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM)
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) is an evidence-based practice that empowers families to make decisions and plans for themselves.This practice is being used by Greene County Children and Youth Services (CYS) and Juvenile Probation and is based on the belief that families have strengths and can change. It recognizes the importance of involving the family group in decision making about children who need protection or care. It puts the family in charge of inviting people to their conference, encourages them to talk about their strengths and concerns, and empowers them to write their own plans for success. Historically, family plans have been driven by service providers’ concerns for the family; now, families are being encouraged to become more engaged by writing and fulfilling their own family plans, with support and guidance from the service providers.
Who are the Local Contacts in Greene County?
1Last updated - January 2010
R. Craig Wise, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer
Room 104, Greene County Courthouse
10 East High Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5250 / Fax: 724-852-5344
Eugene M. D’Antonio, Deputy ChiefProbation Officer
Greene County Courthouse
10 East High Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5250 / Fax: 724-852-5344
Dolores Blosnich, Children and Youth Director
19 South Washington Street
Room 201, Fort Jackson Building
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5217 / Fax: 724-627-6630
Hon. William R. Nalitz, President Judge
Greene County Courthouse
10 East High Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5212 / Fax: 724-627-4716
Hon. Farley Toothman, Judge
Greene County Courthouse
10 East High Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5212 / Fax: 724-627-4716
Marjorie Fox,District Attorney
Greene County Courthouse
10 East High Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5272 / Fax: 724-627-4461
Harry J. Cancelmi, Public Defender
93 East High Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5271 / Fax: 724-852-5348
1Last updated - January 2010
District Magistrate Offices
District 13-3-01 (West Greene County)- Waynesburg Borough, Wayne Township and the West Greene School District (Aleppo Township, Center Township, Freeport Township, Gilmore Township, Gray Township, Jackson Township, Morris Township, Richhill Township and Springhill Township)
Lou Dayich, Magisterial District Judge
144 West High Street,
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-627-8961 / Fax: 724-627-7134
District 13-3-02 (Central Greene County) - Clarksville Borough, Franklin Township, Jefferson Borough, Jefferson Township, Morgan Township, Perry Township, Washington Township and Whiteley Township
Glenn Bates, Magisterial District Judge
Greene County Airport, Suite 203
417 East Roy Furman Highway
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-1440 / Fax: 724-852-5322
District 13-3-03 (East Greene County)- Carmichaels Borough, Cumberland Township, Dunkard Township, Greene Township, Greensboro Borough, Monongahela Township and Rices Landing Borough
Lee Watson, Magisterial District Judge
100-D Park Avenue
Carmichaels, PA 15320
Phone: 724-966-2450 / Fax: 724-966-5895
The following sources of information were used for this section:
Building Bridges Between Your Community and Your Court: A Handbook for Community Members, Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research.
Macmillan online dictionary – .
Greene County website –
National Center for Juvenile Justice. 2006. "Pennsylvania." State Juvenile Justice Profiles. Pittsburgh, PA: NCJJ.
“Juveniles.”Encyclopedia of Everyday Law. Ed. Shirelle Phelps. Gale Cengage, 2003. eNotes.com. 2006. 26 Nov, 2009..
Juvenile Miranda Rights. Caccarozzo, Joey L. Legal Division Intern. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
1Last updated - January 2010