President's Message

Welcome to the official website of the PA Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers.

The Council is a non-profit organization created over forty years ago to further the mission of Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System by promoting the use of best practices among the county operated Juvenile Probation Departments.

At its inception, the Council was comprised solely of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers who met to discuss current system issues, supervision strategies and service and funding needs. Over time, the Council has invited our key system partners into our organization including the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research, the National Center for Juvenile Justice and the extensive network of private and public service providers. The collaborative efforts of this coalition have allowed Pennsylvania to become one of the national front runners in the field of Juvenile Justice.

The effort to continue as a national front runner in the field of Juvenile Justice is reflected by the current Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy.  We are committed to working in partnership to enhance the capacity of Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System to achieve its Balanced and Restorative Justice mission, coupled with the resolve to employ evidence-based practices with fidelity at every stage of the Juvenile Justice process.  Our goal is to improve the quality of our decisions, services and programs.  This effort is a testament to our ongoing pursuit of excellence. 

We hope you find this website informative. Feel free to contact us with your questions. 

 Chief's Council Announcements

Jerry Andria Retires

Jerome “Jerry” Andria retired as Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for the Court of Common Pleas of Fayette County on February 3, 2012 after 37 years of service.   Beginning as a juvenile probation officer and rounding out his career as the chief, Andria oversaw the enhancement of juvenile probation services including the implementation of Balanced and Restorative Justice, the development and expansion of the school-based probation program and many community-based services for delinquent youth.

Jerry was a leader in the Commonwealth by embracing the values and principles of Balanced and Restorative Justice and particularly supported the protection to services to victims of juvenile offenders. He promoted court and community partnerships which resulted in the development of numerous community-based services, such as Youth Commissions and Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST).   Jerry recognizes that these accomplishments would not have been possible without the commitment and support of the court and staff of the Fayette County Juvenile Probation Office.

Jerry has accepted a position with Alternative Living Solutions located in Greensburg, Pa. He will also spend time traveling with his wife Sheila and continuing to run several marathons per year.

Bob Rose Retires

Robert Rose, longtime Chief Juvenile Probation Officer in
Beaver County, retired at the end of 2011. A career employee of Beaver County, Bob was originally hired as a juvenile probation officer in 1973. He worked in various capacities until his appointment as chief in 1984. In that same year, Bob was also a member of the first graduating class of the JCJC’s Graduate Education Program at Shippensburg University.

Over the years, Bob has been involved with and provided leadership on county and statewide initiatives. Some of these include: implementing community service, aftercare, intensive probation and school-based probation programs; chairing a county underage drinking program; chairing a county-wide truancy initiative; life member of the Beaver County Chiefs of Police Association; member of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board; member of the county Victim-Witness Board; member the Beaver County collaborative Action Network; and participant in the County Dependency Roundtable.

Mr. Rose believes that the strength of his administration was the excellent working relationships that he developed with other county agencies and administrators, particularly the CYS and MH/MR directors. “It has been a privilege to have been able to serve the citizens of our [Beaver] county, our youth and the courts for so many years.”
Bob and his wife, Gerry, now both retired, live in Rochester. They have two daughters and a son, three grandchildren, and a great grandchild on the way.

PCCJPO Committee Spotlight

Family Involvement Committee

Enhancing family involvement in the juvenile justice has been getting a closer look over the past few years by the Chief’s Council to the point where a new Ad Hoc Committee was created in 2010 to address this issue. The Committee’s work is capturing state and national interest as we work to identify practices that support family involvement in the juvenile justice system, as well as develop original and Pennsylvania specific resources where needed.

The committee recently completed two large projects. The first was holding three regional forums (Chester, Lycoming, and Mercer Counties) to discuss the Monograph’s findings and recommendations. Over 250 probation officers, providers, family advocates and family members of youth involved in the system attended the Forums and discussed ways to achieve better results for kids and families. The other project was an original curriculum on family engagement for probation officers delivered to PO’s from 5 counties. The intent is to take the feedback received from the training and, once finalized, provide the training to other probation offices throughout the state using a juvenile justice/family advocate team approach. Currently also in development, and awaiting approval, is a Family Guide to Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System. This document will assist families as they navigate through the JJ system, educating them on the process, people they will meet, steps in the system they will face, and things they can do to achieve better outcomes for their children.

Click here for more information about the Family Involvement Committee

 Click here to read the Family Involvement Monograph