Criminal Justice in Pennsylvania
 

 CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM BEST PRACTICES

 

The 2020 Jail, Juvenile Justice Programs, Partners, Re-Entry and CJAB nomination submission opportunity is now open.

County jails, juvenile justice programs, partners who assist our county criminal justice efforts and re-entry projects are honored each year for their work in this area. The awards program is conducted by the Committee on County Criminal Justice Systems for the 21st Century, and is sponsored by CCAP, Pennsylvania County Corrections Association, along with the PA Prison Wardens Association, Pennsylvania Partnership for Juvenile Services, and CCAP Insurance Programs. PA Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel is a founding member of the awards program.

The goal of the awards program is to recognize and acknowledge actual practices known to be in existence in Pennsylvania. Through this program the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) and the committee hopes to encourage more counties to adopt best practices. The focus of the award is to recognize centers that have implemented best practices such as successful re-entry initiatives, prevention programs, development of effective linkages with community programming in behavioral health programs, and other successful re-entry initiatives.

County jails and juvenile justice programs that have previously submitted an entry are urged to resubmit, even if they were awarded in prior years.

The deadline for submitting entries has been extended until February 21, 2020. Anyone needing assistance is urged to contact staff liaison Brinda Penyak at bpenyak@pacounties.org or at 717-736-4737.


Instructions for each award catetgory are listed below. Entries from prior years can be found in the archives below as well.
 

 Entry Forms

 
 

 Scoring Materials - For Committee Members

 
 

 OTHER CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESOURCES

 
 

 PLACE OF CONFINEMENT RESOURCES

 

​Implementation of Place of Confinement (Act 81 of 2008) inmates serving sentences of more than two years.

OVERVIEW

Please take a moment to review the information at the links on this page, including the Question and Answer sections and other information. These materials have been developed by the Pennsylvania DOC County/State Committee, a group of Department of Corrections officials, county commissioners and county jail administrators who meet quarterly to discuss corrections policy, current events and best practices. The group has undertaken the development these resources in anticipation of the November 2011 effective date of Act 81 of 2008. This act, as you likely know, includes provisions requiring inmates sentenced in the range of two to five years to be committed to state facilities as opposed to county jails. The act includes some exceptions for allowing these inmates to remain in county facilities, and the exceptions relate to the available capacity of the county jail.

While the act is written in a way that allows a great deal of local discretion, there are a number of areas where having some guidance and standards may improve the ability of each county to implement local policies. To that end, these resources include some suggested forms, a recommended formula for determining capacity, and details for counties to utilize in determining which state offenders they may house after the effective date who will qualify for reimbursement by the Department of Corrections for eligible work release offenders.

Many statewide associations are working to provide educational information for their members prior to the effective date. These resources were developed with representation from all of these groups, and if utilized across the state, will create consistency that will enhance the effect of the act. Further, opportunities for education are being planned by each affected organization for the near future.

We hope you find the information useful. We also encourage you to provide feedback on the materials, or additional questions to your statewide association so that it can be shared with other collaborating associations and groups. You can contact CCAP liaison Brinda Penyak at 717-232-7554 or via email at bpenyak@pacounties.org, who will assist in directing your communication to the DOC County/State Liaison Committee and your statewide representatives.

Resources

Q&A: place of confinement and capacity

Capacity certification sample form

Q&A: work release provisions

Copy of Act 81

Analysis of the Act

Other Information

SGS Web Access

Act 81 - A Warden's Perspective
 

 ACT 22 SERVICE

 

Act 22 went into effect on July 1, 2011 and caps inpatient hospital care for county and state inmates at Medicaid rates and outpatient care at Medicare rates. Additionally, the Medical Assistance qualification can result in up to 50% of the inpatient care being paid by the federal government. Payment of the inpatient hospital bills is handled through the CCAP PIMCC program, providing the Act 22 Service and acting as a liaison between the counties, DPW and DOC.

PIMCC is a medical cost management and education program dedicated to assisting county prisons/jails with the containment of all costs related to prison inmate medical expenses. PIMCC's overall goal is to train, educate, and provide quality managed care, allowing the County to develop a medical cost saving program.

UPDATES ARE UNDERWAY ON THE APPLICATION SCREENSHOTS. PLEASE CHECK BACK TO SEE REVISIONS MADE TO BRING THE APPLICATION UP TO DATE WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.

Resources

Act 22 Guide
County Prison Inmate Inpatient Registration and Payment

Act 22 Service at a Glance

Affordable Care Act and Corrections
New to the National Institute of Corrections website

County prison inpatient eligibility form (Updated)

Act 22 COMPASS Registration Process

Overview of Hospital Billed Charges

Other Resources

Frequently Asked Questions
 

 PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT (PREA)

 

History

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) was unanimously passed by the United States Congress and signed into Law on Sept 4, 2003 by President George W. Bush. The Act was designed to address sexual abuse in all custodial corrections settings, including prisons, jails, police lock-ups, juvenile justice facilities and community corrections facilities.

In 2004, the first meeting of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) was held. The NPREC was assigned the task of developing national standards with the purpose to prevent, detect, and eliminate sexual abuse and sexual harassment in adult and juvenile correctional facilities. The law also mandated that the Commission consider the impact of cost and other associated factors which would impact implementation in the varied facility types.

The final standards for Prisons and Jails, Lock-ups, Community  Confinement, and Juvenile Facilities were promulgated in 2012.
 
Resource Links


National Institute of Corrections (NIC)

MOSS Group

The Project on Addressing Prison Rape

The Center for Innovative Public Policies

A Equitas

The Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR)