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Advancing Juvenile Justice in Pennsylvania Through Research and Analytics
SESSION INFO
Monday, February 13, 2023
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Session Type: Workshop
Whether you are a Pennsylvania juvenile justice system stakeholder or a newbie to the Keystone State, attend this workshop to learn more about your host state’s juvenile justice system. Two representatives from the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission’s new Research and Analytics Unit will share their recent research studies, dashboards, and infographics with attendees. Topics include statewide performance measures, validation studies, and annual reports. A brief overview of Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system and its goals and history will give context to this work. Finally, the faculty will discuss challenges they have encountered, such as COVID, data sharing limitations, and working with 67 different counties, and strategies used to overcome them. Although the data may be Pennsylvania-specific, the lessons learned are universal. Leave this session with an understanding of what makes Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system unique and worth knowing about!
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Justine Fowler
Director of Research and Analytics, Juvenile Court Judges' Commission
Justine Fowler currently serves as the Director of Research and Analytics for the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC). Ms. Fowler first joined JCJC as a Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow in 2011-2012 after being a Data Analyst with the Office for Children and Families in Courts of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Court. Her fellowship entailed analyzing the recidivism rates of Pennsylvania youth, which became the yardstick for measuring the impact of Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy and is now completed annually. Upon completion of her Fellowship, Ms. Fowler joined the staff of JCJC full-time, serving as the agency’s lead research analyst, conducing data analysis and research on various topics directly impacting the state’s juvenile justice system, assisting in the redevelopment of the agency’s annual disposition report, and creating training presentations and curricula. Between 2019 and 2021, she was a Data and Policy Specialist with the Crime and Justice Institute for several projects, including the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force and Nebraska’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative. Ms. Fowler returned to JCJC in 2021 to expand its research and analytics capacity. She holds a master’s in criminal justice from Pennsylvania State University.
Melanie King
Research Analyst, Juvenile Court Judges' Commission
Melanie King is the Research Analyst for the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission. In that capacity, she provides data analysis and conducts research to support the development and implementation of juvenile justice policies and practices. Previously, she managed the data analysis and reporting for Allegheny County Juvenile Probation, Pennsylvania’s second largest juvenile court jurisdiction. Ms. King has also worked in research and evaluation for several national nonprofits, including the National Center for Juvenile Justice, where she delivered training and technical assistance to Pennsylvania juvenile probation departments on measuring outcomes. She also has direct practice experience in behavioral health individual and group counseling and victim advocacy in juvenile court. She spent part of her career working in managed care as a quality improvement specialist, project manager, and contract analyst. Ms. King received her master’s in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and her bachelor’s in justice from American University.
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