Pennsylvania’s Detention Bed Crisis: An Opportunity for Change

By The Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services

  There are limited service and placement options for youth who commit serious offenses in the community. The Pennsylvania juvenile justice system, specifically detention, continues to experience long waitlists related to workforce shortages in services, among other factors, for youth entering the system. The total number of licensed agencies in Pennsylvania for secure detention is 13, however, only 6 of these facilities offer open access to all counties, resulting in significant unmet placement needs within the system (JCJC, 2023). Detention is a small part of the larger juvenile justice system. The purpose of detention is to provide temporary, secure, and safe custody to youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system process. In Pennsylvania, secure detention beds are used only after less restrictive alternatives have been considered and rejected. The Juvenile Act and Pennsylvania Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure authorize the secure detention of juveniles for brief periods of time and for very limited purposes. Detention services are utilized when other methods of service delivery cannot ensure community safety. A 2023 report by the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission (JCJC) calculated the average and median length of stay in detention placements to be 27 and 14 days, respectively, in 2022

Camp Hill, PA: PPennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services ,

2024. 14p.ennsylvania Council of Children, Youth & Family Services  

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