Pre-Trial Diversion Programs for Minors Under 18

If the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office deems your child is a fit, he or she may be offered deferred adjudication instead of submitting a petition directly to the courts.

In the case of deferred adjudication, your child will have to agree to specific requirements within a specific period of time, which could include things like counseling or community service. If your child complies with the requirements, the criminal record is withdrawn, there is no trial, and there will be no need to worry about a criminal record.

If your child doesn’t qualify for deferred adjudication, goes to court, and is adjudicated delinquent, there is another option available to you to avoid your child’s submission to a detention center. Instead, a consent decree can be entered into by all parties in which the juvenile will be kept under supervision in his or her home and meet specific requirements made by your child’s probation officer.

If your child meets all the requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania probation officer, your child will have his or her juvenile record expunged.