Pennsylvania: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings (October 2003)

In 1995, a national assessment of the legal representation of children in delinquency proceedings was conducted by the American Bar Association (ABA) Juvenile Justice Center, Youth Law Center (YLC) and Juvenile Law Center (JLC). The findings—that indigent juvenile defense was woefully inadequate—were published in A Call for Justice: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings. A Call for Justice laid the foundation for closer examination of the juvenile indigent defense systems in individual states.

This assessment of access to counsel and quality of representation that children receive in delinquency proceedings in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is thus part of a nationwide effort to address deficiencies and identify strengths in juvenile indigent defense practices. The purpose of this assessment is to take a closer look at juvenile defense practices in Pennsylvania, identify the systemic and institutional barriers that impede the development of an improved legal service delivery system, highlight innovative practices and offer recommendations for change. In 2002, Juvenile Law Center and the American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Center jointly initiated the first Pennsylvaniaspecific survey of lawyers representing delinquent children to gain a better understanding of how the Juvenile Act’s requirement was being met—and practiced—in delinquency courtrooms around the state.