More than 15,700 youths worked a total of 536,808 hours in 2012, hours that represent approximately $3.9 million worth of volunteer service for communities across the state, according to the Juvenile Court Judges Commission.
The Judicial Code gives judges in juvenile court broad discretion to order community service or detention, according to James E. Anderson, executive director of the JCJC.
The key thing is that the service has to be of value to the community, something that really makes a difference. We also must have the proper monitoring of their activities in place, Anderson said. That and restitution for the victims is what the judges go by.
The community service information was compiled and analyzed by the JCJC from data provided by county juvenile probation departments.
According to the JCJC, there were 12 programs with more than 500 community service assignments/participants in 2012, including Delaware (1,781); Berks (1,350); Allegheny Countys Cornell-Abraxas Workbridge (946); Montgomery (801); Lehigh (748); Philadelphia (728); Bucks (679); Lancaster (651); Dauphin (620); York (602): Lycoming (555); and Erie (536).
The JCJC also said approximately 72 percent of the youths assigned to community service were male and the average age of youths in the majority of counties was between 15 and 17.
According to the JCJC, the average length of assignment in 2012 was 34.1 hours.
J.L.K.
