|
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Phyllis Mundy
|
|
Mundy reintroduces bill to improve juvenile justice system
HARRISBURG, Feb. 1 – State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, has reintroduced legislation to expand the role of the Juvenile Court Judges Commission in response to Luzerne County's "Cash for Kids" scandal so it can make more recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system.
"We have to give our judges and others in the juvenile justice system the tools to recognize and prevent the kind of corruption and violation of children’s rights we experienced in Luzerne County," Mundy said. "My bill seeks to better educate juvenile court judges and other officials so they can continue working to improve the system."
Mundy's bill (H.B. 226) would expand the duties of the Juvenile Court Judges Commission by allowing it to analyze court cases and trends in the system. The nine-member commission would use the information to make recommendations for improving the system to juvenile judges and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
The information would be made available on the commission's website, www.jcjc.state.pa.us.
Mundy's bill unanimously passed the House last legislative session. It stalled in the state Senate.
Mundy's proposal is consistent with recommendations from the Inter-Branch Commission on Juvenile Justice, which was created in 2009 to investigate the failure of Luzerne County's juvenile justice system. In May, the commission released a final report outlining systemic problems in Luzerne County's juvenile justice system, along with recommendations for fixing those problems.
"Luzerne County's juvenile courts were plagued with long-standing problems that cannot be addressed by one piece of legislation, but my bill is an important step toward repairing the system," Mundy said.