Philadelphia Family Court and judicial districts throughout Pennsylvania conduct dependency proceedings in private in order to protect children—plain and simple. It was troubling that this fact was left out of the Legal Intelligencer’s recent article criticizing us for conducting our dependency hearings in private, and characterizing our compliance with the law as a matter of “choice,” when it is a requirement. Furthermore, and by way of clarification, the “open proceedings” you describe in Allegheny County are reportedly “opened” upon petition or letter from the press and determined on a case by case basis by the Court, absent an agreement of all parties to allow the press to be present.

Unlike civil and criminal causes of action, dependency cases involve governmental intrusion in the core structure of a family in instances primarily when children are found to be lacking proper parental care or control, subsistence, without proper education, when they have been neglected or physically, emotionally or mentally abused, abandoned or without a parent, guardian, or custodian.

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