42 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Chapter 63 - Juvenile Matters

• Chapter Notes

Subchapter A.  General Provisions

• Section 6301 - Short Title And Purposes Of Chapter
  (a) Short title.--This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Juvenile Act." (b) Purposes.--This chapter shall be interpreted and construed as...
• Section 6302 - Definitions
  The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings given to them in...
• Section 6303 - Scope Of Chapter
  (a) General rule.--This chapter shall apply exclusively to the following: (1) Proceedings in which a child is alleged to be delinquent or dependent. (2)...
• Section 6304 - Powers And Duties Of Probation Officers
  (a) General rule.--For the purpose of carrying out the objectives and purposes of this chapter, and subject to the limitations of this chapter or...
• Section 6304.1 - Summary Offenses
  (a) Review.--Upon notice being certified to the court that a child has failed to comply with a lawful sentence imposed for a summary offense,...
• Section 6305 - Masters
  (a) General rule.--The governing authority may promulgate rules for the selection and appointment of masters on a full-time or part-time basis. A master shall...
• Section 6306 - Costs And Expenses Of Care Of Child
  The costs and expenses of the care of the child shall be paid as provided by sections 704.1 and 704.2 of the act of...
• Section 6307 - Inspection Of Court Files And Records
  (a) General rule.--All files and records of the court in a proceeding under this chapter are open to inspection only by: (1) The judges,...
• Section 6308 - Law Enforcement Records
  (a) General rule.--Law enforcement records and files concerning a child shall be kept separate from the records and files of arrests of adults. Unless...
• Section 6309 - Juvenile History Record Information
  (a) Applicability of Criminal History Record Information Act.--Except for 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9105 (relating to other criminal justice information), 9112(a) and (b) (relating to...
• Section 6310 - Parental Participation
  (a) General rule.--In any proceeding under this chapter, a court may order a parent, guardian or custodian to participate in the treatment, supervision or...
• Section 6311 - Guardian Ad Litem For Child In Court Proceedings
  (a) Appointment.--When a proceeding, including a master's hearing, has been initiated alleging that the child is a dependent child under paragraph (1), (2), (3),...

Subchapter B.  Jurisdiction and Custody

• Section 6321 - Commencement Of Proceedings
  (a) General rule.--A proceeding under this chapter may be commenced: (1) By transfer of a case as provided in section 6322 (relating to transfer...
• Section 6322 - Transfer From Criminal Proceedings
  (a) General rule.--Except as provided in 75 Pa.C.S. § 6303 (relating to rights and liabilities of minors) or in the event the child is...
• Section 6323 - Informal Adjustment
  (a) General rule.-- (1) Before a petition is filed, the probation officer or other officer of the court designated by it, subject to its...
• Section 6324 - Taking Into Custody
  A child may be taken into custody: (1) Pursuant to an order of the court under this chapter. Prior to entering a protective custody...
• Section 6325 - Detention Of Child
  A child taken into custody shall not be detained or placed in shelter care prior to the hearing on the petition unless his detention...
• Section 6326 - Release Or Delivery To Court
  (a) General rule.--A person taking a child into custody, with all reasonable speed and without first taking the child elsewhere, shall: (1) notify the...
• Section 6327 - Place Of Detention
  (a) General rule.--A child alleged to be delinquent may be detained only in: (1) A licensed foster home or a home approved by the...

Subchapter C.  Procedures and Safeguards

• Section 6331 - Release From Detention Or Commencement Of Proceedings
  If a child is brought before the court or delivered to a detention or shelter care facility designated by the court, the intake or...
• Section 6332 - Informal Hearing
  (a) General rule.--An informal hearing shall be held promptly by the court or master and not later than 72 hours after the child is...
• Section 6333 - Subpoena
  (a) General rule.--Upon application of a child, parent, guardian, custodian, probation officer, district attorney, or other party to the proceedings, the court, master, or...
• Section 6334 - Petition
  (a) Contents of petition.--A petition, which shall be verified and may be on information and belief, may be brought by any person including a...
• Section 6335 - Release Or Holding Of Hearing
  (a) General rule.--After the petition has been filed alleging the child to be dependent or delinquent, the court shall fix a time for hearing...
• Section 6336 - Conduct Of Hearings
  (a) General rule.--Hearings under this chapter shall be conducted by the court without a jury, in an informal but orderly manner, and separate from...
• Section 6336.1 - Notice And Hearing
  (a) General rule.--The court shall direct the county agency or juvenile probation department to provide the child's foster parent, preadoptive parent or relative providing...
• Section 6336.2 - Use Of Restraints On Children During Court Proceedings
  (a) Use of restraints.--Except as provided for in subsection (b), restraints such as handcuffs, chains, shackles, irons or straitjackets shall be removed prior to...
• Section 6337 - Right To Counsel
  Except as provided under this section and in section 6311 (relating to guardian ad litem for child in court proceedings), a party is entitled...
• Section 6337.1 - Right To Counsel For Children In Dependency And Delinquency Proceedings
  (a) Children in dependency proceedings.--Legal counsel shall be provided for a child who is alleged or has been found to be a dependent child...
• Section 6338 - Other Basic Rights
  (a) General rule.--A party is entitled to the opportunity to introduce evidence and otherwise be heard in his own behalf and to cross-examine witnesses....
• Section 6339 - Investigation And Report
  (a) General rule.--If the allegations of a petition are admitted by a party or notice of hearing under section 6355 (relating to transfer to...
• Section 6340 - Consent Decree
  (a) General rule.--At any time after the filing of a petition and before the entry of an adjudication order, the court may, on motion...
• Section 6341 - Adjudication
  (a) General rule.--After hearing the evidence on the petition the court shall make and file its findings as to whether the child is a...
• Section 6342 - Court-appointed Special Advocates
  (a) General rule.--The court may appoint or discharge a CASA at any time during a proceeding or investigation regarding dependency under this chapter. (b)...

Subchapter D.  Disposition of Children Generally

• Section 6351 - Disposition Of Dependent Child
  (a) General rule.--If the child is found to be a dependent child the court may make any of the following orders of disposition best...
• Section 6351.1 - Authority Of Court Upon Petition To Remove Child From Foster Parent
  (a) Order required.--Notwithstanding sections 6324 (relating to taking into custody) and 6351(a) (relating to disposition of dependent child), if a county agency petitions the...
• Section 6352 - Disposition Of Delinquent Child
  (a) General rule.--If the child is found to be a delinquent child the court may make any of the following orders of disposition determined...
• Section 6352.1 - Treatment Records
  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, drug and alcohol treatment records or related information regarding a child who is alleged or who has been...
• Section 6353 - Limitation On And Change In Place Of Commitment
  (a) General rule.--No child shall initially be committed to an institution for a period longer than four years or a period longer than he...
• Section 6354 - Effect Of Adjudication
  (a) General rule.--An order of disposition or other adjudication in a proceeding under this chapter is not a conviction of crime and does not...
• Section 6355 - Transfer To Criminal Proceedings
  (a) General rule.--After a petition has been filed alleging delinquency based on conduct which is designated a crime or public offense under the laws,...
• Section 6356 - Disposition Of Mentally Ill Or Mentally Retarded Child
  If, at a dispositional hearing of a child found to be a delinquent or at any hearing, the evidence indicates that the child may...
• Section 6357 - Rights And Duties Of Legal Custodian
  A custodian to whom legal custody has been given by the court under this chapter has the right to the physical custody of the...
• Section 6358 - Assessment Of Delinquent Children By The State Sexual Offenders Assessment Board
  (a) General rule.--A child who has been found to be delinquent for an act of sexual violence which if committed by an adult would...

Subchapter E.  Dispositions Affecting Other Jurisdictions

• Section 6361 - Disposition Of Nonresident Child
  (a) General rule.--If the court finds that a child who has been adjudged to have committed a delinquent act or to be dependent is...
• Section 6362 - Disposition Of Resident Child Received From Another State
  (a) General rule.--If a juvenile court of another state which has adopted the Uniform Juvenile Court Act, or a substantially similar law which includes...
• Section 6363 - Ordering Foreign Supervision
  (a) General rule.--Subject to the provisions of this chapter governing dispositions and to the extent that funds are available the court may place a...
• Section 6364 - Supervision Under Foreign Order
  (a) General rule.--Upon receiving a request of a juvenile court of another state which has adopted the Uniform Juvenile Court Act, or a substantially...
• Section 6365 - Powers Of Foreign Probation Officers
  If a child has been placed on probation or protective supervision by a juvenile court of another state which has adopted the Uniform Juvenile...

Subchapter F.  Juvenile Court Judges' Commission

• Section 6371 - Definitions
  The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly...
• Section 6372 - Juvenile Court Judges' Commission
  (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Office of General Counsel the Juvenile Court Judges' Commission. (b) Composition.--The commission shall consist of nine judges...
• Section 6373 - Powers And Duties
  The commission shall have the power and is required to do the following: (1) Advise the juvenile court judges of this Commonwealth in all...
• Section 6374 - Power To Make Grants
  The commission shall have the power, and its duty shall be to make annual grants to political subdivisions for the development and improvement of...
• Section 6375 - Funding
  The General Assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as it deems to be necessary for the operation and expenses of the commission.

Last modified: October 8, 2016