Request Data from the JCJC

The JCJC must comply with the laws, regulations, and ethical standards that are established for both juvenile court records and human subject research. The concern for confidentiality exists in all studies that utilize youth data, and these standards serve as safeguards to protect such confidentiality.  In Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Juvenile Act (see 42 Pa.C.S. §6307; 42 Pa.C.S. §6308; and 42 Pa.C.S. §6309), Pennsylvania Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure (see Pa.R.J.C.P. 160 and Pa.R.J.C.P. 161), and the Criminal History Record Information Act all govern the collection and release of juvenile criminal history information, to include what is collected in Pennsylvania Juvenile Case Management System (PaJCMS). These statutes and rules clearly describe what information can be shared and with whom. 

Additionally, while the JCJC is statutorily authorized to maintain the PaJCMS to meet its statutory requirement “to compile and publish such statistical data as needed for the efficient administration of the juvenile courts”, the actual records are owned by the individual juvenile probation departments in the Commonwealth.  As a result, unless the researcher is requesting aggregate statewide data, the JCJC cannot release any such data without consent and authorization from the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer and/or a Juvenile Court Judge from each county in which the data is requested.

To request data from the JCJC, please download and submit the completed Data Request Form using the link below.

Unless your request is for statewide aggregated data, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be obtained in order for the JCJC to release any juvenile court data. In addition, authorization for the JCJC to release such records must be obtained from each Chief Juvenile Probation Officer and/or Juvenile Court Judge from the county in which the records will be retrieved. It is the responsibility of the Requester to obtain such authorization from the respective counties.

1. Complete the Data Request Form.
   
2. Compile supplemental research project materials (e.g., a full research proposal, an abstract/proposed research design and methodology, an outline of data storage and management techniques, or proposed confidentiality techniques).
3. Submit the research project for review by an IRB.
4. Contact each Chief Juvenile Probation Officer and/or Juvenile Court Judge from each county in which data is requested to obtain commitment to the research project, if applicable.
   1. Note: If the respective county representative(s) commit to the project, the JCJC will provide additional details at a later time on the steps to obtain written authorization from them to release the identified records.
5. Submit the completed Data Request Form, supplemental research materials, documentation of IRB submission (if applicable), and documentation of commitment from each Chief Juvenile Probation Officer and/or Juvenile Court Judge from each county in which data is requested (if applicable) to ra-oajcjcdata@pa.gov.