Commission on Crime and Delinquency

County Intermediate Punishment is a sentencing alternative to county and state prison.  In 2019, the Justice Reinvestment Initiative legislative package (JRI2) passed which repealed intermediate punishment as a direct sentence and replaced it with a sentence of probation with restrictive conditions.  The new probation sentence with restrictive conditions includes participation in intermediate punishment programs. This change, along with the court system being shut down due to COVID-19, has resulted in fewer individuals being considered for the program and fewer receiving the sentence.  Participants in this program continue, however, to recidivate at a much lower rate than those receiving other sentences such as regular probation supervision, county prison or state prison sentences.  

PCCD has long supported the implementation of evidence-based programs that have been developed to prevent problem behaviors among youth by helping them and their families develop the skills necessary to contend with life’s challenges.  This approach has proven to be effective and has shown dramatic returns on investment by keeping children from entering the delinquency, dependency or criminal justice systems. 

Evidence-based programs are best implemented when data is used to determine the extent of a problem or concern.  Since 1989, PCCD has helped assess the needs of children through the administration of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS).  Issued biannually, PAYS surveys students in 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades to learn about their behavior, attitudes, and knowledge concerning drugs, violence, and other factors.  For example, the recent 2019 survey revealed a steady decrease in student drug and alcohol use and anti-social behavior, but conversely, indicated an increasingly disturbing trend related to children’s thoughts related to self-worth and the reporting of suicidal ideations and suicide attempts. Recognizing the worth of this feedback, more and more schools are participating in the PAYS.   

PCCD provides resources to all crime victim service provider types in Pennsylvania.  The work is overseen by the Victim Services Advisory Committee and the Children's Advocacy Center Advisory Committee.  For FY20-21, the number of services provided to crime victims was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, for the past several years, trending data related to crimes committed against persons is trending downward, which very well may be impacting the number of individuals seeking assistance.   The number of victims served is a compilation of data collected from all PCCD funded Victim Service providers.

For FY20-21, the number of services provided to crime victims was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however victim services providers are finding success in providing services in alternative means utilizing available technology.