PTF May2016 cmk-1

RACIAL JUSTICE
IMPROVEMENT
PROJECT
AMERICAN BAR
ASSOCIATION
Criminal Justice
Section
Pennsylvania Task Force
Angela Bell
Executive Site Director
Honorable William Furber,
Jr.
Chief Judge
Michael Kehs, Esquire
District Court Administrator
Kevin McKeon
Chief of Police
Sharon Giamporcaro,
Esquire
Deputy District Attorney-Chief
of Juvenile Division
Kelly Brown
Community Representative
Steve Custer
Chief Juvenile Probation
Officer
Honorable Christopher
Cerski
Magisterial District Judge
Leane Renee
Montgomery County Public
Defender's Office
The Racial Justice Improvement Project (RJIP) aims to

identify and reform policies and practices that produce racial
disparities in local criminal justice systems across the
country. By working with officials in state and local criminal
justice systems, RJIP attempts to address racial disparities by
developing and implementing evidence-based policy reforms
throughout the adjudication process where policies and
practices have an adverse impact on people of color.
Pennsylvanias Montgomery County Task Force (PTF) identified overrepresentation and disproportionate
minority contact (DMC) of Black juveniles at the arrest stage as their targeted reform. This problem was
identified through statewide DMC data provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
and the Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research. The PTF chose this issue because local DMC arrest
data indicated significant racial disparity in 10 jurisdictions across Montgomery County with regard to the arrest
of black juveniles. The PTF believed that this issue could be effectively addressed through enchantments to
Youth Aid Panel (YAP), a pre-existing diversionary program offered by the District Attorneys Office,
training/education for law enforcement, and a partnership with Family Services of Montgomery County.
The PTF decided to implement a pilot under which a newly enhanced YAP program would be offered to eligible
juveniles of color in order assess whether they could successfully be diverted out of the traditional adjudication
pathway. Upon completion of all program requirements, all juvenile arrest records would be expunged and no
court proceedings would be initiated. Enhancements to YAP included no longer limiting participation to first
time offenders, expanding the list of eligible offenses, and offering case management to all participants to
ensure juveniles are able to successfully follow through on joining and meeting the requirements of the
program. The pilot is currently being offered to the townships of Upper Merion, Limerick, Montgomeryville,
Upper Moreland, Norristown, and recently, Abington, and Cheltenham. Additionally, Philadelphia juveniles
arrested in Montgomery County will be examined for eligibility.
To date the pilot program has had 16 juveniles referred to YAP and assigned to a street outreach worker for case
management services. With the expanded YAP eligibility (additional offenses and geographic area), raising
awareness about YAP, and diversified panels, the PTF is confident that their work is impactful and look forward
to pilot evaluation. Redacted data on current participants can be found in Appendix O. Given the early success
observed with this pilot, PTF has already taken steps to secure sustainability funding and continued partnerships
to expand the project to serve more participants, from more townships, on a more permanent basis.
In addition to modifying eligibility criteria for YAP, the PTF is hard at work ensuring that law enforcement
utilize YAP by developing personal relationships with the Chief of Police in each jurisdiction and emphasizing
the benefits of YAP for participants and communities. The PTF is also making a strong effort to diversify the
panels themselves, hoping that panel participants with diverse backgrounds can better reach program
participants with diverse backgrounds.
The PTFs data identified two main offenses that represented the disparity the mostAssault and theft. In
response to the data, PTF proposed to offer a national model program that has demonstrated an impact on
reducing juvenile problem behavior; Aggression Replacement Training (ART). Thus, in addition to YAP, PTF
partnered with The Academy Alternative School to offer ART as another method to address the numerous
contributing mechanisms for DMC in Montgomery County. ART is a research-based, proven-effective
approach for helping youth understand and control their anger. ART is provided through thirty (30) group
sessions that are 1 hour in length. The sessions are held three (3) days per week for ten (10) weeks. Staff from
The Academy Community-Based Services lead these sessions.
Thus far, 48 youth have participated in ART and 35 youth have completed. Youth completed a series of pre and
post-test instrument which revealed the following outcomes: 34.3% improved Skills for Dealing with Feelings;
20.0% reduction in Physical Aggression; 48.6% improved Skills for Dealing with Stress; 31.4% improved
Social Skills; 42.8% with improved Skill Alternatives to Aggression. ART is part of a larger effort by PTF to
holistically address DMC before and after juveniles come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Finally, PTF is working to provide training and education for law enforcement through collaboration with
Family Services of Montgomery County and the District Attorneys office. PTF hosted a DMC/Juvenile Justice
Summit on January 13, 2014 to provide education and training on DMC and juvenile justice issues. On
December 18th 2015, PTF once again held a juvenile justice training that included discussion on the influence of
implicit bias, how the adolescence brain develops, and the need for policy reform. Members of PTF have also
been invited to speak at meetings of the Montgomery County Police Chiefs. During these meetings, PTF has
outlined the work of RJIP and the need to address DMC. PTF also plans to continue to hold a series of
educational seminars of juvenile justice and reducing DMC1. In June of 2016, members of PTF will attend the
NCJA National Conference on Pretrial Justice Reform to host a presentation on the work of PTF and
implementing juvenile justice reform. The panel proposal for this presentation can be found in Appendix R.
See Pennsylvania DMC Training Invitation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY TASK FORCE..........................................................6
GENERAL JURISDICTION INFORMATION 6

BACKGROUND ON PROPOSED AREA OF REFORM
TASK FORCE REFORM GOALS
TASK FORCE MEMBERS 8

IMPLEMENTATION 9
BUDGET INFORMATION
15
RESULTS................................................................................................................. 16
EVALUATION METHODS
DATA
16
17
EVALUATOR RECOMMENDATIONS 17
FINDINGS................................................................................................................ 18
PROJECT SUMMARY
SUSTAINABILITY
18
18
APPENDICES............................................................................................................19
APPENDIX A: MONTGOMERY COUNTY RJIP APPLICATION PACKET

APPENDIX B: DMC 2010 UNIFORM CRIME DATA
19
24
APPENDIX C: JUVENILE RETAIL THEFT ARREST STUDY DATA 30

APPENDIX D: PENNSYLVANIA DMC TRAINING INVITATION
41
APPENDIX E: PTF RJIP TASK FORCE REPORT 42

APPENDIX F: RJIP OCTOBER 14TH 2014 ANNUAL PRESENTATION
APPENDIX G: PTF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
APPENDIX H: YAP BROCHURE
48
52
57
APPENDIX I: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND PEER-TO-PEER NYC SITE VISIT AGENDA JANUARY 16 TH 2015
58
APPENDIX J: MARCH 20TH 2015 YOUTH LAW ENFORCEMENT FORUM LETTER AND PAMPHLET
59
APPENDIX K: IJAY CONSULTING OUTCOME EVALUATION PLAN
62
APPENDIX L: DECEMBER 18TH, 2015 JUVENILE JUSTICE TRAINING INVITATION LETTER

APPENDIX M: DECEMBER 18TH, 2016 JUVENILE JUSTICE TRAINING AGENDA 68
APPENDIX N: DECEMBER 18TH, 2015 JUVENILE JUSTICE TRAINING PRESENTATION 69
APPENDIX O: YAP PARTICIPANT SPREADSHEETS
79
APPENDIX P: ART PMS REPORTING TOOL SPREADSHEETS

APPENDIX Q: DAS OFFICE LETTER OF SUPPORT
APPENDIX R: NCJA PANEL INFORMATION
100
99
81
67
SUMMARY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY TASK FORCE

GENERAL JURISDICTION INFORMATION
Montgomery Country, Pennsylvania is a suburban county northwest of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware
Valley and marks the regions northern border with the Lehigh Valley region of the state. As of 2014, the
population was estimated to be around 816,857, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania. The
county seat is Norristown. Montgomery County is home to large and growing Black, Korean American, Puerto
Rican, Mexican, and Indian populations. The county has the second largest foreign-born population in the
region. According to data from the 2010 Census, the county was 79.0% white, 8.7% Black, 0.1% Native
American or Alaskan, 6.4% Asian, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.6% were some other race.2
In 2010, when the juvenile diversion program (Youth Aid Panel) was initially expanded, Montgomery County
had a crime rate of 2,145.5 per 100,000 people. The Southeast Common Human Service Region (CHSR) in
which Montgomery County and four other counties reside ranked #1 for violent crimes and #1 for property
crimes in the state.3 In 2013, when the juvenile diversion program was further expanded, Montgomery County
had a crime rate of 1,996.2 per 100,000 people, but the Southeast CHSR still ranked #1 for violent crimes and
#1 for property crimes.4 According to data of juvenile arrests from 2010 for Montgomery County, 4,833
juveniles were arrested in 2010, and almost 42% of them were Black. Black juveniles are more than five times
more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts, and more than one out of every five Black juveniles will
have faced arrest.5
In 2011, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded the Pennsylvania Commission on
Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) a planning grant to ensure Pennsylvanias compliance with the federal Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Act of 2002, which requires states to carry out five phases (Identification, Assessment,
Intervention, Evaluation, and Monitoring) to satisfy the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) core
strategy. Based on the computed 2009 Relative Rate Index (RRI) values for Pennsylvania, PCCD chose three
counties (Montgomery, Dauphin, and Chester) to become DMC Reduction Sites. PCCD asked Angela Bell to
become the Montgomery County DMC Coordinator and oversee the Montgomery County DMC Community
and Strategic Planning Project (CASP). DMC CASP sites were then asked to address the five phases necessary
to satisfy the DMC core strategy and develop a DMC-Reduction Action Plan for the county.
BACKGROUND ON PROPOSED AREA OF REFORM

During the year-long grant period, the Montgomery County Key Stakeholder Committee was established and
included representatives from law enforcement, the education community, juvenile justice, and faith-based
sectors. The Montgomery County Key Stakeholders collected 2010 Uniform Crime Data for over 50
jurisdictions in Montgomery to review the juvenile crime statistics. A chart of this data can be seen in Appendix
B. As these charts demonstrate, the committee looked at each jurisdictions total population, the percentage of
white, black, and Hispanic population, the total juvenile arrests, the breakdown of the arrest numbers for white,
black, and Hispanic juveniles, and the Relative Rate Index (RRI). This particular data was used to highlight any
statistical significance in the magnitude of RRI and volume of activity as compared with other jurisdictions.
See Brett Wells, Montgomery County RJIP Application Packet, 3 (2013).

See Pennsylvania State Police, 2010 Online Annual Crime Report, (last visited July 1, 2015), available at
http://www.paucrs.pa.gov/UCR/Reporting/Annual/AnnualFrames.asp?year=2010.
4
See Pennsylvania State Police, 2013 Online Annual Crime Report, (last visited July 1, 2015), available at
http://www.paucrs.pa.gov/UCR/Reporting/Annual/AnnualFrames.asp?year=2013.
5
See Montgomery County Key Stakeholder Committee, DMC 2010 Uniform Crime Data (2010).
2
3
ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION
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This information was later updated with 2011 and 2012 data and Montgomery County District Court data
through the district judge on the RJIP committee and the Montgomery County Juvenile Probation Office (JPO).6
The analysis of this data showed that the greatest statistically significant disparities are at the arrest stage in a
significant number of jurisdictions in Montgomery County. The detailed data can be seen in Appendix C. DMC
RRI arrest data indicated significant racial disparity in 10 jurisdictions across Montgomery County with regard
to the arrest of black juveniles. Springfield Township is a good example with a total population of 19,418 with
83.6% of the population being white. Springfield reported 227 juvenile arrests with 151 of them being black
juveniles. This made their RRI 14.96.
The data also outlined the top 15 reasons for Black referral to the JPO compared with white referrals. This
allowed the determination of 3 main categories in which there is a disproportionate number of Black referrals
compared to white referrals. These categories are: Simple Assault, Disorderly Conduct, and Retail Theft.7
Subsequently, 10 locations were identified based on their RRI, size of total population, size of population of
color, and number of arrests.8 After consulting with law enforcement from several of the 10 target DMC
jurisdictions, the Pennsylvania Task Force decided to implement a pilot diversion program for juveniles arrested
for summary offenses in Montgomery County to address the identified disparity.
As the grant period came to an end, the key Stakeholders Committee reached a consensus that the focus of the
Montgomery County DMC-Reduced Action Plan would be on the disproportionality of the arrest of black
juveniles. The Committee then sought funding from the Racial Justice Improvement Project (RJIP) to proceed
with the development of a DMC-Reduction Action Plan for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
TASK FORCE REFORM GOALS

Based on the statewide DMC data provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and
the Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research, the specific racial disparity the Pennsylvania Task Force
(PTF) identified is the overrepresentation and Disproportionate Minority Contact of black juveniles at the arrest
stage. The PTF believed that the disparity identified could be effectively addressed through a combination of
reform efforts, including expanding the eligibility criteria of the current Youth Aid Panel (YAP) diversion
program, increasing diversity of YAP panelists, promoting utilization of YAP, providing implicit bias and
cultural competency training/education for law enforcement and YAP staff, fostering partnership and
collaboration with Family Services of Montgomery County and the District Attorneys office, and implementing
Aggression Replacement Training (ART).
See Montgomery County Key Stakeholder Committee, Juvenile Retail Theft Arrest Study Data (2012-2013).
See id.
8
See id.
6
7
TASK FORCE MEMBERS

The Honorable William Furber,
President Judge
Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas
Role: Serves as the liaison contact between the
committee and Montgomery County Courts.
The Honorable Christopher J. Cerski,
Magisterial District Judge
Role: Serves as the liaison contact between the
committee and magisterial district court judges.
The Honorable Risa Ferman
Montgomery County District Attorney
Role: Provides approval for amendment to YAP
eligibility criteria and will provide data concerning
YAP for study/research.
Ms. Sharon Giamporcaro
Deputy District Attorney
Juvenile Division
Role: Serves as the liaison with the Montgomery
County District Attorney. Approves admission of
certain juvenile offenders that do not meet the YAP
admission criteria.
Mr. Steven Custer

Chief Juvenile Probation Officer
Role: Provides juvenile arrest data and assists with
diverting juvenile offenders with additional
misdemeanor level charges pending at the Juvenile
Court.
The Honorable Kier Bradford-Grey,
Chief Public Defender
Role: Will file expungement petitions for juveniles
successfully completing the program.
Chief Thomas Nolan,
Upper Merion Police Department
Role: Will administer the processing and initial
screening of juveniles eligible for YAP.
Ms. Angela Bell, Esquire
Montgomery County DMC Coordinator, RJIP Task
Force Facilitator
Role: Grant, program, and task force administrator.
Mr. Thomas Haney
Youth Aid Panel Administrator, Montgomery
County District Attorneys Office
Role: Serves as the liaison with the Montgomery
County District Attorney and Norristown Youth Aid
Panel.
IMPLEMENTATION
The Pennsylvania Task Force has taken several steps to achieve its goals of addressing the overrepresentation
and Disproportionate Minority Contact of Black juveniles at the arrest stage. These steps include:
YOUTH AID PANEL
The District Attorney created the Youth Aid Panel (YAP) to divert certain qualifying summary and misdemeanor
offenders from the criminal justice system. The program aims to encourage juveniles to be responsible for their
actions, to restore them to the community, and to prevent future offenses and resultant harm to individuals and
the community. The YAP program of Montgomery County has been in existence since 2000. It is a restorative
justice program that provides a second chance for non-violent juvenile offenders in Montgomery County. It is
administered by Montgomery Conflict Mediation Center, which also trains volunteer community members who
become YAP panelists. There are YAP programs in about 22 different locations in Montgomery County, with
some communities supporting several different panels. Approximately 600 juveniles annually are given the
opportunity for a second chance at becoming productive citizens, and the vast majority never again become
involved in the juvenile justice system.9
Despite the existence of YAP, the Montgomery County DMC RRI arrest data indicates significant racial
disparity in 10 Montgomery County jurisdictions. The PTF has taken several steps to address and correct this
racial disparity. In particular, the PTF identified three policy changes to YAP that will help divert more juveniles
of color into YAP and consequently lower DMC arrest data.10
1. YAP Eligibility Criteria: YAP eligibility criteria restricted the diversionary program to first time
offenders. The PTF believed the restriction places an adverse burden on offenders of color. In an effort
to lower county-wide DMC, the District Attorney agreed to amend the YAP eligibility criteria. The new
policy permits a juvenile to complete YAP despite the juvenile possessing two prior summary
convictions, one prior adjudication of delinquency on a misdemeanor offense, or a pending dependency
matter such as truancy or an ungovernable case. Moreover, the new policy enables an individual who
failed YAP in the past, to be eligible to participate again.
2. Case Management Services: YAP possesses no case management service to assist juvenile offenders in
successfully completing the diversionary program. The PTF believed the lack of case management
adversely affects those offenders of color exhibiting certain risk and dependency factors. For example,
law enforcement reports that many time offenders of color were referred to YAP, but the offender never
followed through with the process or the YAP panels restorative disposition. As such, formal court
proceedings would be initiated, which add to the DMC arrest data. The PTF proposed the
implementation of case management services for certain juvenile offenders committing a summary
offense in the five identified townships. The case management services will be made available at the
time of referral and will be provided by Montgomery County Family Services. The case management
services will be used by YAP as a restorative tool when the panel identifies the juvenile as exhibiting
certain risk and dependency factors. The case management services will assist the juvenile offender in
successfully completing the YAP panels restorative disposition.
See Montgomery County Task Force, Montgomery County Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Pilot
Juvenile Diversion Program (2014) (brochure for the YAP program).
10
See Inga James, Racial Justice Improvement Project Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Outcome Evaluation
Plan (2015).
9
3. Discretionary referral process: Law enforcement possesses the sole discretion to refer or not refer a
juvenile offender to YAP. Other than the eligibility criteria listed below, YAP provides no objective
standard for a law enforcement officer to consider when deciding whether a juvenile offender receives a
YAP referral. The Chiefs of Police of the five townships have agreed to implement a more objective
referral process. Specifically, the police departments will refer all juvenile offenders arrested for
summary offenses to YAP. This policy change eliminates officer discretion and requires the referral to
YAP of every juvenile arrested for a summary offense.
Building off of this agreement with several jurisdictions regarding referrals, Angela Bell is working
closely with each Chief of Police elsewhere to ensure and expand awareness of YAP and the benefits.
Through meeting individually with each Chief, it is easier to identify why referrals are not being made,
to understand the culture of each jurisdictions law enforcement, and to cater YAP information and
referral support to the individuals actually administering the referrals, all in order to ensure that the
program is not under-utilized.
The diversion program is open to juveniles who admit their involvement in an eligible summary or
misdemeanor offense, pass a screening process and receive approval from the Police Department. The brochure
given to potential participants can be seen in Appendix H. In addition, the following criteria must be met: 11
The juveniles age was 10-17 years old at the time of the alleged incident
There is no pending delinquency petition
The juvenile is not currently on probation
The juvenile lives in zip code 19401 and the alleged offense occurred in Montgomery County
A juvenile may be referred to the panel for a summary offense, despite a prior adjudication of
delinquency on a misdemeanor offense
A juvenile may be referred to the panel despite up to two prior summary offenses/citations
(discretionary with the referring officer)
Re-entry: Past participants who were unable to complete YAP diversion may be deemed eligible
with permission of the DAs Office and YAP director
The PTF worked with the District Attorneys Office and other relevant stakeholders to draft and sign a
Memorandum of Understanding reflecting these revisions and outlining the implementation of a pilot enhanced
YAP program.12 This MOU can be seen in Appendix G. The PTF announced on October 1, 2014 the
implementation of the Montgomery County DMC Pilot Juvenile Diversion Program utilizing the Montgomery
County District Attorney's Youth Aid Panel (YAP) program in cooperation with the Upper Merion Township
Police Department. The pilot diversion program offered juveniles of color accused of summary offenses an
opportunity to avoid "arrest" or initiation of court process by completing YAP program requirements as
alternative adjudication. 13
Initially, the pilot diversion program was only available for juveniles arrested for retail theft in Upper Merion, a
jurisdiction where a significant number of Montgomery County juveniles are arrested. A few months into the
commencement of the pilot, the pilot was expanded to include 4 additional townships in Montgomery County
for all summary offenses. Those townships include Limerick, East and West Norristown, and Norristown. The
revised pilot program serves Black juveniles who reside in the 19401 zip code and are accused of summary
offenses in those five townships. Beginning in November 2014, Black juveniles were offered case management
See Montgomery County Task Force, supra note 2.
See MOU Between the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office and the Montgomery Country Racial
Justice Improvement Project Task Force, 1 (2014).
13
See id. at 4.
11
12
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10JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
services and will be evaluated and compared with a randomly selected comparison group of Black juveniles
who were eligible for YAP in 2011, 2012, and 2013, when case management was not available.14
In addition to changes in eligibility and the referral process, the PTF is hard at work to diversify the Panels. It is
believed that panels representative of their community, and the attending youth, will be more impactful. As a
result, the PTF is actively seeking out more people of color and Spanish-speakers to better relate to the
participant youth.
14
See James, supra note at 2-3.

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Below is an outline of the steps taken to initiate the new pilot version of YAP
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AGGRESSION REPLACEMENT TRAINING

In addition to YAP, the Task Force is also providing a juvenile diversion program known as Aggression
Replacement Training (ART). The Task Force partnered with The Academy Alternative School to offer ART as
another method to address the numerous contributing factors for DMC in Montgomery County. ART is a
research-based, proven-effective approach for helping youth understand and control their anger. ART is
provided through 30 group sessions that are 1 hour in length. The sessions are held three 3 days per week for
ten weeks.
The Academy Community-Based Services lead these sessions. The objectives of ART are to assist youth to:
Social Skills: replace anti-social behaviors with positive interactions.
Anger Control: respond to anger provoking situations in a non-aggressive manner.
Moral Reasoning: raise awareness and understanding of the needs and rights of others.
ART is used as a diversion program for youth at the police department/SRO level and/or the district court level.
ART is used for youth that are diverted for offenses such as simple assault and disorderly conduct (fighting) as
opposed to being petitioned to juvenile court. The Academy was trained by the ART program developer in the
fall of 2013.
Thus far, 48 youth have participated in ART and 35 youth have completed. Youth completed a series of pre and
post-test instrument which revealed the following outcomes: 34.3% improved Skills for Dealing with Feelings;
20.0% reduction in Physical Aggression; 48.6% improved Skills for Dealing with Stress; 31.4% improved
Social Skills; 42.8% with improved Skill Alternatives to Aggression. ART is part of a larger effort by PTF to
holistically address DMC before and after juveniles come into contact with the criminal justice system.
YOUTH-LAW ENFORCEMENT FORUMS
The PTF is also working with the Montgomery County Public Defenders office to facilitate four Youth/Law
Enforcement Forums in Montgomery County jurisdictions with significantly high Relative Risk Index numbers.
Youth-Law Enforcement Forums provide an opportunity for both youth and officers to be heard and to consider
each others views without endorsing either side as completely right or wrong. These frank exchanges have led
to more in-depth discussions about balancing the need for police to investigate crime safely with the desires of
young people to live in their community without feeling harassed by law enforcement.
The goal of the panel discussion is to identify issues, concerns and recommendations for improving youth and
law enforcement relations from the perspectives of experienced law enforcement officers and youth. After the
panel discussion, the officers and youth in the audience are given an opportunity to discuss the panel discussion
in facilitated small groups. At the end of each forum, both officers and youth have said that they have developed
a new understanding of each other. Of greater importance, both officers and youth have indicated that they
might react differently to situations on the street as a result of the forums. The first forum was held on March
20th 2015 and was titled Pennsylvania DMC Youth Law Enforcement Workshop and Curriculum Training. The
event was attended by Angela Bell, PTF Facilitator.15 A detailed description and flyer for the event can be seen
in Appendix J.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Finally, the PTF has made efforts to receive guidance from professional and specialized agencies to inform their
reform efforts, while also extending education opportunities to other relevant stakeholders and members of the
15
See Letter from Jose Loya, Youth Law Enforcement Forum (Feb. 20, 2015) (on file).
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Montgomery County Criminal Justice System. The PTF facilitator has consulted with the Center for Court
Innovation and the National Juvenile Justice Network on effective strategies in juvenile justice. On January 16,
2015, members from PTF, joined by members of the North Carolina Task Force, traveled to NYC to meet with
the Center for Court Innovation, the Criminal Justice Agency, as well as RJIP staff to discuss progress and
future steps for their reform initiatives. The agenda of this meeting can be seen in Appendix I. The PTF also
hosted a DMC/Juvenile Justice Summit on January 13, 2014 to provide education and training on DMC and
juvenile justice issues. The Summit is part of a series of planned educational seminars.16 The invitation
describing the event that was distributed to potential attendees can be seen in Appendix D.
PTF hosted a DMC/Juvenile Justice Summit on January 13, 2014 to provide education and training on DMC
and juvenile justice issues. On December 18th 2015, PTF once again held a juvenile justice training that
included discussion on the influence of implicit bias, how the adolescence brain develops, and the need for
policy reform. Members of PTF have also been invited to speak at meetings of the Montgomery County Police
Chiefs. During these meetings, PTF has outlined the work of RJIP and the need to address DMC. PTF also
plans to continue to hold a series of educational seminars of juvenile justice and reducing DMC17. In June of
2016, members of PTF will attend the NCJA National Conference on Pretrial Justice Reform to host a
presentation on the work of PTF and implementing juvenile justice reform. Information about this presentation
can be seen in Appendix R.
In order to educate the community and the local criminal justice system about their proposed racial justice
reform and garner support for the reform, the PTF created marketing/educational materials regarding the
diversion program for youth, parents and law enforcement, and disseminated program updates and outcomes to
policy makers in the criminal justice system and community groups.
16
See Letter from Daniel Elby, Pennsylvania DMC Training Invitation (Dec. 11, 2013) (on file).
17
See Pennsylvania DMC Training Invitation
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BUDGET INFORMATION
Year 1 Budget
Personnel
Angela Bell, Esq, Task Force
Coordinator
Ann Kanof, Information Specialist
Travel
Travel to RJIP Training/Meetings
Supplies/Other
Printing/Publications
$50/hr x180hours
$9,000.00
$40/hour x30 hours
$1,200.00
$1,000.00
$800.00
$12,000.00
Total=
Year 2 Budget
Personnel
Angela Bell, Esq, Task Force
Coordinator
Ann Kanof, Information Specialist
Other
Additional Data Collection
(reimbursement to Upper Merion
Township)
$60/hr x170hours
$10,200.00
$40/hr x 10hours
$400.00
$400.00
Total=
$11,000.00
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RESULTS
EVALUATION METHODS
YOUTH AID PANEL 18
A three-pronged approach (aggregate, individual and policy) will be taken to determine the effectiveness of the
alternative adjudication program the PTF is proposing i.e. Case Management as a part of the Youth Aid Panel
(YAP). The ultimate goal is to reduce summary offense arrests for juveniles of color in Montgomery County.
Therefore, the first prong of the approach is to collect baseline data for 2011, 2012, and 2013 on summary
offenses for Black juveniles arrested in the five townships. From this data, a relative rate index (RRI) will be
calculated for each year. Thirty participants will be referred to YAP for summary offense crimes. They will
receive case management to direct them through the steps to completion.
Referral rates and eligibility criteria: For this project, a change in criteria for inclusion in YAP was made.
Data will be collected for three years prior to this policy change to show the number of referrals during those
three years and will be compared to the number of referrals during the year of this project. There should be an
increase in the number of youth referred to YAP by law enforcement for any reason particularly in Blacks.
To calculate the RRI, the number of arrests is used to compute a rate of occurrence, and those rates are
compared between racial/ethnic categories. So, for example, the Police Chief and the in-house project
evaluation will calculate the arrest rate, defined for purposes of this evaluation, as the time at which the officer
files paperwork on the incident. Arrest rates will be calculated for white youth and for Black youth, comparing
those two rates to determine the extent to which Black youth have a higher arrest rate than white youth. For this
to improve, the RRI in the pilot project must decrease as well as the rate for Black juveniles being arrested for a
summary offense.
Because the new referral policy allows for juveniles with prior arrests to be referred to YAP, those current
participants will need to be segregated from those individuals who had no priors for analysis purposes.
Case management: To determine if case management is effective for this population, the in-house project
evaluator will check 6-month recidivism rates up to 2 years after completion of the program for each
participant. This will be compared to a randomly selected comparison group of youth from 2011, 2012, and
2013 who have not received case management. Members of the comparison group have not received case
management.
In addition, the in-house evaluator will collect data about the success and failure rates of participants in the
program. This data will allow the determination of the outcomes of case management with regards to program
completion, participants will be compared with participants from 2011, 2012, and 2013 to measure successful
completion rates.
Data and analysis: Case management data will be recorded in an excel database that includes the names of the
individuals who completed the program and those who did not complete the program. The RJIP evaluator will
work closely with YAP to determine successful completion of the program for each participant. A detailed data
collection and evaluation plan will be developed when the program is put into place. Relationships with the
District Attorneys Office and any other agencies needed to obtain the appropriate data will be forged. The RJIP
18
See Inga James at 2-4.

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evaluator will also track any subsequent arrests and charging for any YAP participant. These arrests will be
noted and tracked in the excel spreadsheet.
Because the new referral policy allows for juveniles with prior arrests to be referred to YAP, those current
participants will need to be segregated from those individuals who had no priors for analysis purposes. Thus, for
the analysis of recidivism and program completion rates, current participants with no priors will be compared to
individuals also with no prior arrests.
Conducting descriptive analyses will give us information about the average number of re-arrests and charges
within the study and comparison groups. Analyses of variance will be conducted to determine differences in
program completion and recidivism rates between the pilot participants and comparison group members.
**The above evaluation plan was provided by IJAY Consulting. For the full Outcome Evaluation plan, see
Appendix K.
DATA
YOUTH AID PANEL
With the pilot program now drawing participants from 4 new Townships, the PTF will be serving Black
juveniles who may have lacked the chance to previously participate. Following the completion of the pilot
program, IJAY Consulting will provide data reports.
AGGRESSION REPLACEMENT TRAINING 19
Since July 2014, 23 youth participated in ART and 21 youth have completed. Youth completed a series of pre
and post-test instrument which revealed the following outcomes:
26.1% improved Skills for Dealing with Feelings.
13.0% reduction in Physical Aggression
30.4% improved Skills for Dealing with Stress
39.1% improved Social Skills
26.1% with improved Skill Alternatives to Aggression
To see the raw data for ART, please see the ART PMs Reporting Tool Spreadsheets in Appendix P.
EVALUATOR RECOMMENDATIONS
Following the completion of PTFs reform efforts, IJAY Consulting will provide recommendation for further
study and expansion.
19
See Greater Norristown Police Athletic League, ART PMs Reporting Tool Spreadsheets (2013-2014).
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FINDINGS
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Montgomery County, Pennsylvania task force (PTF) has identified the overrepresentation of black juveniles
at the arrest stage as the presenting problem. This problem was identified through statewide data provided by
the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the Center for Juvenile Justice Training and
Research. The task force chose this issue because local arrest data indicate significant racial disparity in 10
jurisdictions across Montgomery County with regard to the arrest of black juveniles. The task force believed
that this issue can be effectively addressed through a combination of the Youth Aid Panel diversionary program,
training and education for law enforcement, partnership and collaboration with Family Services of Montgomery
County and the District Attorneys office, and the Aggression Replacement Training (ART).
By expanding the eligibility criteria of the current Youth Aid Panel (YAP) diversionary program, providing
implicit bias and cultural competency training and education for law enforcement and Youth Aid Panel
Diversionary staff, fostering partnership and collaboration with Family Services of Montgomery County and the
District Attorneys office, and implementing Aggression Replacement Training (ART), the PTF is making great
strides in reducing the inequity faced by juveniles of color. With the new systems in place, more individuals
should participate in YAP with a higher successful completion of the program, while recidivism rates should
decrease. Once the pilot program concludes, the PTF will be receiving an outcomes evaluation from IJAY
Consulting. This evaluation will determine the success of the pilot program.
SUSTAINABILITY
Support for the DMC Coordinator position is a key element to the continuation of the Montgomery County
DMC Task Force as this person serves as the convener of meetings and coordinator of task force activities. The
experience of members on PTF is that with other community initiatives is that there must be a champion/leader
in order for the activities and mission to continue. PTF expects a continued partnership the Pennsylvania
Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to achieve its mission to reduce the arrest rates for juveniles of
color. PCCD is interested in the success of DMC efforts in Montgomery County as a percentage of federal
funds to PCCD depends upon the success of PCCD in reducing rates of disproportionate minority contact in
five counties throughout the state, of which Montgomery County is one. PTF will seek to expand its
partnership with PCCD to continue its efforts beyond the grant period and institutionalize the work of the Task
Force in the long-term.
PTF has taken steps to secure additional funding to ensure the teams progress can become a permanent fixture
of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In March 2016, PTF applied for funding from several BJA funding
initiatives. A letter of support from the Montgomery County District Attorneys office can be seen in Appendix
Q.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: MONTGOMERY COUNTY RJIP APPLICATION PACKET
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APPENDIX B: DMC 2010 UNIFORM CRIME DATA
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APPENDIX C: JUVENILE RETAIL THEFT ARREST STUDY DATA

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2012 Juvenile Theft Arrests

Number
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
4
1
1
1
2
2
3
1
1
1
3
1
2
2
5
3
1
6
2
2
2
56
Sex
Race
F
F
M
M
F
M
M
M
M
M
M
F
M
M
F
M
M
F
F
M
F
M
F
M
M
F
M
M
M
Total Retail
Ethnicity
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
H
H
N
N
N
N
N
H
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
H
N
N
N
N
W
A
B
B
W
B
B
A
B
B
W
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
Zip Code
18902
19027
19027
19090
19111
19111
19119
19120
19120
19120
19120
19121
19132
19133
19134
19138
19138
19138
19139
19139
19140
19140
19141
19141
19141
19144
19144
19149
19150
2013 Juvenile Retail Theft Arrests by Zip Code

ZIP CODE
CITY
TOTAL
19401
19143
19406
19139
19153
19082
19131
19403
19405
19426
NORRISTOWN
PHILADELPHIA
KING OF PRUSSIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
UPPER DARBY
PHILADELPHIA
NORRISTOWN
BRIDGEPORT
COLLEGEVILLE
28
17
16
8
6
5
5
5
3
3
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19002
19121
19124
19134
19145
19151
18064
19023
19032
19079
19083
19111
19114
19119
19120
19127
19129
19130
19133
19138
19140
19142
19335
19344
19464
19475
19805
80022
07001
AMBLER
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
NAZARETH
DARBY
FOLCROFT
SHARON HILL
HAVERTOWN
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA
DOWNINGTOWN
HONEYBROOK
POTTSTOWN
SPRING CITY
WILMINGTON, DE
COMMERCE CITY, CO
AVENEL, NJ
TOTAL
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
132
2013 Juvenile Retail Theft Arrests Totals Among White Youth

TOTAL
PERCENTAGES
Contacts for Retail

Charged with an Offense
11
6
Locally Cleared
Given YAP*
Percentage ultimately Charged with an

offense
55%
Percentage given YAP
45%
Completed YAP
Percentage that successfully completed

YAP
100
%
Failed YAP
Reasons Failed
Mail Undeliverable
0
Percentage that failed due to
undeliverable mail
0%
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Did not respond to

Program
Non-compliance w/
Program
Not Offered YAP

Reasons not Offered
Prior Arrests
Percentage that failed for not

responding
Percentage that failed due to noncompliance
0%
Percentage not offered YAP
55%
Percentage not
arrests
On Probation
0
Percentage not
probation
Prior YAP
1
Percentage not
YAP
Uncooperative
0
Percentage not
uncooperative
Police Error
0
Percentage not
Error
YAP = Youth Aid Panel, Alternative to Detention Program
0%
offered YAP due to prior
83%
offered YAP due to
0%
17%
offered YAP bc
0%
offered YAP bc of Police
2013 Juvenile Arrest Totals Among Juveniles of Color

TOTAL
PERCENTAGES
Contacts for Retail

36
33
Locally Cleared
Given YAP*
Completed YAP

offense
92%
22%

YAP
13%
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Failed YAP
Reasons Failed
Mail Undeliverable
Percentage that failed YAP
88%
14%
Did not respond to

Program
Non-compliance w/
Program

undeliverable mail
responding
Not Offered YAP

Reasons not Offered
Prior Arrests
26
72%
16
Percentage not
arrests
Percentage not
probation
Percentage not
YAP
Percentage not
uncooperative
Percentage not
Error
62%
offered YAP due to
8%
4%
offered YAP bc
19%
8%
On Probation
Prior YAP
Uncooperative
Police Error
29%
57%
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2013 Juvenile Retail Theft Arrest Totals by Zip Code

TOTAL
PERCENTAGES
Contacts for Retail

14
9
Locally Cleared
Given YAP*

offense
64%
43%
Completed YAP
83%
Failed YAP
Reasons Failed
Mail Undeliverable

YAP
Did not respond to

0
Program
Non-compliance w/
1
17%

0%
undeliverable mail
0%
responding
Percentage that failed due to non100
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Program
Not Offered YAP
Reasons not Offered
Prior Arrests
compliance
57%
Percentage not
arrests
Percentage not
probation
Percentage not
YAP
Percentage not
uncooperative
Percentage not
Error
75%
offered YAP due to
0%
13%
offered YAP bc
0%
13%

offense
91%
On Probation
Prior YAP
Uncooperative
Police Error
TOTAL
PERCENTAGES
Contacts for Retail

33
30
Locally Cleared
Given YAP*
21%
Completed YAP
83%
Failed YAP
Reasons Failed
Mail Undeliverable

YAP
undeliverable mail
17%
17%
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Did not respond to

Program
Non-compliance w/
Program

responding
33%
Not Offered YAP

Reasons not Offered
Prior Arrests
24
73%
14
Percentage not
arrests
Percentage not
probation
Percentage not
YAP
Percentage not
uncooperative
Percentage not
Error
58%
offered YAP due to
8%
4%
offered YAP bc
21%
8%
On Probation
Prior YAP
Uncooperative
Police Error
50%
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Relative Rate Indexes of People of Color Populations throughout Pennsylvania Townships
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20 Highest Relative Risk Indexes Compared Over Time (2010-2012)
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Top 25 Reasons for juvenile Referral to the Montgomery County Juvenile Probation Office
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Top 15 Reasons for African American Referral to Juvenile Probation Office Comparison with White
Referrals
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APPENDIX D: PENNSYLVANIA DMC TRAINING INVITATION
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APPENDIX E: PTF RJIP TASK FORCE REPORT
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RACIAL JUSTICE

Pennsylvania Task Force

The Racial Justice Improvement Project (RJIP) aims to

See Pennsylvania DMC Training Invitation

GENERAL JURISDICTION INFORMATION 6

TASK FORCE MEMBERS 8

APPENDIX A: MONTGOMERY COUNTY RJIP APPLICATION PACKET

APPENDIX C: JUVENILE RETAIL THEFT ARREST STUDY DATA 30

APPENDIX E: PTF RJIP TASK FORCE REPORT 42

APPENDIX K: IJAY CONSULTING OUTCOME EVALUATION PLAN

APPENDIX L: DECEMBER 18TH, 2015 JUVENILE JUSTICE TRAINING INVITATION LETTER

APPENDIX P: ART PMS REPORTING TOOL SPREADSHEETS

SUMMARY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY TASK FORCE

BACKGROUND ON PROPOSED AREA OF REFORM

See Brett Wells, Montgomery County RJIP Application Packet, 3 (2013).

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

RACIAL6 JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

TASK FORCE REFORM GOALS

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

RACIAL7 JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

TASK FORCE MEMBERS

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

Mr. Steven Custer

RACIAL8 JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

RACIAL9 JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

See James, supra note at 2-3.

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

AGGRESSION REPLACEMENT TRAINING

See Pennsylvania DMC Training Invitation

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

$40/hour x30 hours

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

See Inga James at 2-4.

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

APPENDIX B: DMC 2010 UNIFORM CRIME DATA

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

APPENDIX C: JUVENILE RETAIL THEFT ARREST STUDY DATA

2012 Juvenile Theft Arrests

2013 Juvenile Retail Theft Arrests by Zip Code

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

2013 Juvenile Retail Theft Arrests Totals Among White Youth

Contacts for Retail

Percentage ultimately Charged with an

Percentage given YAP

Percentage that successfully completed

ABA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SECTION

Did not respond to

Not Offered YAP