Carbon County Correctional Facility

A magisterial district judge does. Picture a neighborhood judge who hears minor cases and starts the bigger ones. According to the court's own website, these judges run arraignments, fix bail and sign arrest warrants. Four of them serve the county, and which one gets the case turns on where the arrest took place.

That first meeting with a judge is the preliminary arraignment. A crime-victim guide from the state places it within roughly six hours after an arrest, and a video screen at the jail may stand in for a courtroom. In those few minutes the person is handed the complaint, hears what the bail will be and gets a date to come back (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540).

The date to come back is for the preliminary hearing. Court rules want it within 14 days for someone still in a cell, or within 21 days for someone sent home. Call the jail at 570-325-2211 to learn if the arraignment is over. After a late-night or weekend arrest, ask the staff when a judge is likely to be on the screen.

Pa.R.Crim.P. 524 sets out five release types, and only one of them requires paying before the person goes home.

• ROR (release on recognizance). Freedom on a signed word alone, with a promise to show up.
• ROR with added rules. The written word again, joined by rules like checking in with an officer, keeping away from a certain person or staying within set travel limits.
• Unsecured bail. The judge names a sum, yet nobody pays it unless a court date gets skipped.
• Nominal bail. A token deposit, often $1, backed by a person or agency who acts as surety. The surety's job is to stand behind the defendant.
• Monetary bail. Cash, pledged property or a bondsman's bond must cover the whole figure before the doors open.

Rule 523 tells the judge what to weigh: the charge itself, work and family roots in the area, any earlier record and whether the person skipped court before. If cash is required, Rule 528 requires a reasonable amount, set with the defendant's means in mind.

Each judge picks a figure for the one defendant in the room, so a neighbor facing the very same charge might get a different number. Even so, the grade of the charge weighs heavily, because it marks how stiff the sentence could be. These are the ceilings under 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101 and 1103-1105:

• Summary offense (the level for most traffic tickets and many disorderly conduct charges): 90 days in jail and a $300 fine, at most
• M3, the lowest misdemeanor: as much as 1 year and $2,500
• M2: as much as 2 years and $5,000
• M1, the highest misdemeanor: as much as 5 years and $10,000
• F3, the lowest felony: as much as 7 years and $15,000
• F2: as much as 10 years and $25,000
• F1, the highest felony: as much as 20 years and $25,000
• Murder: first degree brings death or life, and second degree brings life (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102)

A court may sometimes take a 10 percent deposit in place of the whole sum (Rule 528(C)), so ask if the judge allowed it. To read the actual figure, open the free UJS case search, since every docket shows its bail. On weekdays the Clerk of Courts can answer too, at 570-325-3637.

A county notice limits cash and bail bond payments to the county correctional facility, 331 Broad Street, Nesquehoning, PA 18240. Payments are accepted at three set times daily: 9:00 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Go in this order:

1. Ring the jail at 570-325-2211 before leaving home. Spell the defendant's name and give their birth date. Staff can then read you the bail amount and docket number to jot down.
2. Ask which kind of payment fits this case and which ID you will need.
3. Plan to be at the door shortly before 9:00 a.m., 3:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.
4. Press the buzzer by the main entrance, and an officer will come to help.
5. Look over the bail paper before you sign. Leave with an itemized receipt, which Pa.R.Crim.P. 535 says the person taking your money must give you.

Paying for somebody else may turn you into a surety, meaning the court could later demand the entire bail from you if they skip a hearing. The rules call for a written notice explaining that choice. Send questions about the county notice to County Administration, P.O. Box 129, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-3611.

The courthouse is off the list for now. Under the county's notice, nobody may post bail at the courthouse, 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, until further notice. The Clerk of Courts in that building, 570-325-3637, still collects fines, court costs and restitution, which are separate from bail.

The internet is a real option. This county is one of ten on PA ePay Bail, the state court system's own payment site. Go in knowing the terms:

• Accepted cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or a bank ATM card.
• Each payment carries a 2.75 percent charge that stays with the site even if bail is later returned.
• The most you can send in one payment is $20,000.
• Not every type of docket can be paid online, so have the docket number ready to test it.
• Bondsmen cannot complete a bond on the site and must reach the court or jail directly.

Once an online payment goes through, ring the jail at 570-325-2211 and ask about timing for the release.

The county notice mentions just two: cash and bail bonds. Cards work on PA ePay Bail rather than at the window. Thinking of a check or money order? Call 570-325-2211 and ask before driving over. Bring cash counted to the dollar. Mailing cash is never safe.

Pa.R.Crim.P. 528 allows a few other kinds of security for the full figure:

• Pennsylvania land or a home whose owned value, after any mortgage, reaches the bail amount
• Government bonds from the United States, the state or a town or county
• A bond written by a licensed bondsman

Using a house means court forms and proof of what it is worth. Ask the Clerk of Courts, 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-3637, where to begin and what records to collect.

Paid bail bonds are lawful here. A bondsman charges a fee and, for it, guarantees the court the full bail if the defendant disappears. That bond then gets posted at the jail instead of cash. Before hiring anyone, check these points from 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 5741-5750:

• Licensing for bondsmen is handled by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department; ask to see the license.
• Under § 5743.1, a bondsman must also file papers with the county before working local cases. These include the license, a service address and a power of attorney.
• Lawmakers scrapped the state's fee cap in 2015, so the bondsman sets the price. Get it on paper.
• You never get that fee, called the premium, back, even when charges are dropped.
• Under § 5749, nobody may charge you a referral fee just for steering you to a bondsman.

Go through the whole contract slowly before you sign it, and take a copy home. Should the defendant miss court, the bondsman may have to pay, and the contract spells out who must repay them.

Plenty. Bail settles one case only. Common holds include:

• Paperwork from another county or state, such as a warrant.
• A detainer from probation or parole. For county supervision, reach Adult Probation and Parole, P.O. Box 26, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-4226.
• A second pending case with bail of its own.
• A federal charge, or a request from immigration officers.
• A bench warrant tied to an old missed hearing.

Release usually comes with conditions, like staying away from the alleged victim. Ignoring one may bring fresh charges and cost the bail. Before handing over money, phone the jail at 570-325-2211 and ask if any other hold sits on the person's file.

Only in narrow cases. The state constitution promises bail to almost everyone (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14; 42 Pa.C.S. § 5701). Holding someone without any bail is allowed only if one of these is true:

• A conviction could mean execution or a life term, as with first- or second-degree murder.
• Nothing except jail would keep a person or the public safe.

The prosecution must prove either one. The state Supreme Court ruled in Commonwealth v. Talley (2021) that prosecutors must put actual proof before the judge at a hearing and win the argument with it. An accusation by itself falls short.

For this county, that job belongs to the District Attorney's Office, main line 570-325-2718. On the other side, a defense lawyer or the public defender argues for release.

Yes, through a motion to modify bail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 529), filed by the defense lawyer or public defender. Before the preliminary hearing, that motion may return to the same district judge. Later on, a Court of Common Pleas judge rules on it at the courthouse, 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-8556.

Relatives can make the motion stronger. Collect papers that show the person has reasons to stay and return: a recent paycheck stub, a rental lease, a letter from a supervisor, or an offer from family of a place to live. Pass them to the lawyer, who picks what the judge should see.

Rule 600 helps after a long stay. After 180 days in jail awaiting trial (time lost to defense delays does not count), a request for nominal bail can be made. The public defender's number is 570-325-2343.

The Public Defender Act (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following) gives every county except Philadelphia a public defender for people too short on money to hire counsel. Locally, its lawyers appear at preliminary hearings and trials, at probation violation hearings and in juvenile court. Start an application by calling the Office of the Public Defender at 570-325-2343.

Applicants sign a sworn form about what they earn and own. Counties write their own income test, so ask which papers to bring, such as pay stubs or benefit letters. Giving false answers on it can be punished like perjury.

Thanks to Act 34 of 2023, state money now helps cover county defense work, a first for Pennsylvania. A person still behind bars can ask staff at 570-325-2211 how to contact the office.

• Court of Common Pleas, 56th Judicial District: Carbon County Courthouse, 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. Court Administration 570-325-8556; Clerk of Courts 570-325-3637. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-01: 340 Center Avenue, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-2751. Serves Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Weissport, Penn Forest Township and part of Mahoning Township.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-02: 401 Delaware Avenue, 2nd Floor, Palmerton, PA 18071, 610-826-3707. Serves Palmerton, Parryville and Bowmanstown, plus Franklin, Towamensing and Lower Towamensing townships.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-03: 417 East Ridge Street, Lansford, PA 18232, 570-645-3024. Serves Lansford, Nesquehoning, Summit Hill, East Penn Township and the rest of Mahoning Township.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-04: 71 West Main Street, Weatherly, PA 18255, 570-427-4100. Serves the Weatherly area, including Kidder, Banks, Packer, Lehigh and Lausanne townships, Beaver Meadows and East Side.
• Federal court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, William J. Nealon Federal Building, 235 N. Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-207-5600.

All four district courts open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a lunch break from noon until 1:00 p.m.

Save the receipt somewhere safe. Under Pa.R.Crim.P. 535, the listed depositor gets the money back roughly 20 days after the case has fully ended. Before that check is cut, the county can hold back a small handling charge. Ask the Clerk of Courts, 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-3637, about the fee and the address the check will go to.

If the receipt names the defendant as depositor, the court can put the deposit toward that person's fines, costs and restitution. Money posted in a relative's own name has better protection from that.

Skipping court is the costly mistake. The judge may then order an arrest by bench warrant, forfeit the bail and add new charges. Rule 150 sets a 72-hour deadline for a hearing, counted from when the person lands in the issuing county's own jail. Custody somewhere else can stretch that wait.

Both come through the jail. Ring 570-325-2211 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and ask these questions:

• In what form is leftover account money handed over at release?
• Are keys, wallets and phones returned on the way out, or held for a later pickup?
• Can a relative collect the items instead, and what ID and signed permission would that take?

The facility sits at 331 Broad Street, Nesquehoning, PA 18240. To put money on an account while the person is still in custody, visit our jail account deposits page.

Then a federal judge, not a county one, handles release. This county falls under the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, whose courthouse in Scranton is at 235 N. Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-207-5600.

A detention hearing under 18 U.S.C. 3142 decides if the defendant can live at home under conditions until trial or must remain locked up. Money posted in county court has no effect on a federal case. Federal prisoners awaiting trial are housed by the Marshals. The Marshals' Middle District office, 235 North Washington Avenue, Unit 215, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-346-7277, can say which jail has someone.

Federal defendants who cannot afford counsel may get help from the federal defender's office at 201 Lackawanna Avenue, Suite 317, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-343-6285. Once a sentence is handed down, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Yes. ICE may send the Nesquehoning jail a detainer on Form I-247A. Through that paper, agents want the person kept up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving agents time to arrive (8 CFR 287.7(d)). Posting county bail leaves that request standing.

The federal appeals court for Pennsylvania says a jail may turn down a detainer, because it is a plea for help, not an order (Galarza v. Szalczyk, 3d Cir. 2014). Carbon's jail falls under that ruling. Jailing someone on the detainer and nothing else can leave the county legally responsible. For that reason, jails differ on detainers. Call the Nesquehoning staff at 570-325-2211 about their approach.

Once ICE has the person, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. ICE's Philadelphia Field Office, 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164, handles this state.

Where the time is served hangs on the sentence's maximum (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762). Under 2 years, it stays local at 331 Broad Street, Nesquehoning, PA 18240, 570-325-2211. Five years or more at the top goes to state prison. In the 2-to-5 band, state prison is the norm, but county time can happen if the jail, the District Attorney's Office and the sentencing judge all approve.

Each new state prisoner is first sent for testing at a reception and classification center. The tests there can stretch over several weeks or a few months, and the long-term prison is picked afterward. Track the person on the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate locator. The department's central office is at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Our Pennsylvania state prisons page has more on each prison.

Youth under 18 usually land in juvenile court instead of adult court (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301 and following). The local office in charge is Juvenile Probation, 76 Susquehanna Street, 1st Floor, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-2417. When a teen has to be held, it happens at a center built for youth, apart from the adult jail. Parents can call Juvenile Probation to learn where their son or daughter is and when the first hearing is set.

A few charges skip juvenile court. Age and charge can push a case into adult court. Murder starts a 15-, 16- or 17-year-old there. So can some violent felonies if the teen used a deadly weapon. Adult bail rules govern those cases. Their lawyer can then request a transfer to juvenile court. You will not find juvenile files on the public UJS portal.

Yes. Two layers of state court split the work.

• Magisterial district courts decide summary offenses, the lowest crimes. Speeding tickets and most disorderly conduct charges belong to this tier. Every criminal case also starts at these courts. The first step is the preliminary arraignment, where bail is decided, and the second is the preliminary hearing.
• The Court of Common Pleas gets every misdemeanor and felony that survives a preliminary hearing. Appeals from summary verdicts land here too, and each one is a brand-new trial before a judge. Someone unhappy with a district court's verdict has 30 days to file that appeal.

Carbon has a Common Pleas bench all its own, the 56th Judicial District. The Census estimate for July 1, 2025 counted 65,868 residents. None of the boroughs or townships runs a city court, so every local case starts at a district court.

The courthouse stands at 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, and keeps hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. These lines matter most to a family:

• Court Administration: 570-325-8556, for schedules and questions about which judge has a case.
• Clerk of Courts: 570-325-3637. This office keeps criminal files and dockets, and its mail goes to P.O. Box 107, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. Clerks can explain paperwork but cannot give legal advice.
• Sheriff's Office: 570-325-2821, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Deputies serve court warrants and drive prisoners to hearings.
• Bureau of Collections: 570-325-3500, for fines, costs and restitution after a case ends.

Juvenile Probation works out of a county building at 76 Susquehanna Street, 1st Floor, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-2417. Court forms and local rules sit on the court's own website, carboncourts.com.

All 23 municipalities belong to one of four magisterial district courts. Each is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and closes from noon to 1:00 p.m.

• Magisterial District Court 56-3-01: 340 Center Avenue, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-2751. Jim Thorpe, Lehighton and Weissport boroughs, Penn Forest Township, and the Packerton and Jamestown voting districts of Mahoning Township.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-02: 401 Delaware Avenue, 2nd Floor, Palmerton, PA 18071, 610-826-3707. Palmerton, Parryville and Bowmanstown boroughs, plus Lower Towamensing, Towamensing and Franklin townships.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-03: 417 East Ridge Street, Lansford, PA 18232, 570-645-3024. Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill boroughs, East Penn Township, and the Mahoning and New Mahoning voting districts of Mahoning Township.
• Magisterial District Court 56-3-04: 71 West Main Street, Weatherly, PA 18255, 570-427-4100. Beaver Meadows, East Side and Weatherly boroughs, plus Banks, Kidder, Lausanne, Lehigh and Packer townships.

The court for the place the offense allegedly occurred normally holds the preliminary hearing. Phone that office for the date, or pull up the docket online.

The preliminary arraignment. The state's crime-victim guide says this generally comes within six hours after an arrest. There, a magisterial district judge lists the charges aloud, gives the defendant the written criminal complaint and explains rights, including the right to counsel. Bail is then fixed and the preliminary hearing scheduled (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540).

The preliminary hearing. If the defendant is still locked up, the hearing has to happen inside 14 days of the arraignment; for someone at home, inside 21. The district judge for the place the offense allegedly occurred runs it. A prima facie case is required of the District Attorney, meaning evidence for every element of the crime and a reason to think this defendant committed it. Without it, the judge drops the charges.

The defense may waive the hearing. Waiving moves the case directly to the Court of Common Pleas, so a lawyer should explain that choice before anyone signs.

The path depends on the grade.

• Summary offenses usually start with a citation and end with a trial before the district judge. The top penalty is 90 days and $300, unless a law sets a bigger fine. A 30-day window allows an appeal to Common Pleas.
• Misdemeanors go through the preliminary hearing and then up to Common Pleas. An M3 carries a ceiling of 1 year and $2,500, an M2 of 2 years and $5,000, and an M1 of 5 years and $10,000.

Many first DUI cases end in ARD, short for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. It is a second chance meant mostly for first-time offenders. The offer comes from the District Attorney alone, and a judge must approve it. Participants then complete supervision, classes, fees and community service. Complete the program and the charge is dismissed, and an expungement can follow.

Every DA sets its own ARD rules, so ask the District Attorney's Office at 570-325-2718. DUI penalties change often, so ask a lawyer about the grade that applies.

1. Arraignment and bail before a district judge, usually within hours.
2. Preliminary hearing, where the prosecutor must show enough evidence to go on.
3. The information. This written charge comes from the District Attorney, whose office can still change which counts are listed.
4. Formal arraignment in Common Pleas, usually several weeks on, where the defendant gets the information and pleads.
5. Pretrial conference, a meeting where plea deals often come together.
6. Trial. Twelve jurors decide, and every one must agree, unless the defense opts for a bench trial before a judge alone. Proof must leave no reasonable doubt.
7. Sentencing, which follows a pre-sentence report from the court's probation office and a look at the state guidelines.

Felony ceilings are 7 years and $15,000 for an F3, 10 years and $25,000 for an F2, and 20 years and $25,000 for an F1 (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101 and 1103). Appeals climb first to the Superior Court, then possibly to the state Supreme Court.

Several things tighten up:

• Bail may be refused. That is allowed for crimes carrying death or life imprisonment, or when nothing but jail would protect people. Under Commonwealth v. Talley (2021), the prosecutor must prove it with evidence at a hearing.
• Penalties climb sharply. Murder carries the steepest terms: death or life at first degree, life at second degree and up to 40 years at third degree (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102).
• Teens may face adult court. Murder, and certain armed violent crimes, move a youth of at least 15 straight into the adult system.
• Victims get a bigger voice. Victims of these violent crimes, and of burglary, can address the judge on any plea offer and at sentencing.
• State prison is likely. Any upper limit of 5 years or more points to the state system, not Nesquehoning.

In a case this serious, families do best by checking the docket often and calling the defense lawyer with questions.

Prosecution: the District Attorney's Office, 570-325-2718. The DA decides which charges to bring, what plea offers to make and who is offered ARD.

Defense: the Office of the Public Defender, 570-325-2343. It represents defendants who cannot pay, starting at the preliminary hearing and going on through any trial, and also at probation and juvenile hearings (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following). Each applicant swears to their finances on a form, and the county decides who qualifies. Since Act 34 of 2023, state funds help pay for county defense for the first time.

The court also runs a Drug Treatment Court and a Veterans Treatment Court. These programs mix treatment with close court supervision. Ask the defense lawyer, or Court Administration at 570-325-8556, whether a case might fit one.

A single statewide site holds criminal dockets, and it costs nothing:

1. Head to the UJS Web Portal case search. Using it costs nothing and needs no account.
2. Choose participant name as the search type. Enter the surname, then the first name, and select Carbon as the county. Searching by docket number also works.
3. Click the matching docket sheet. Charges, bail, the courtroom and future dates are all on it.

A case filed in the last day or so may be missing. The portal also hides juvenile, sealed and expunged matters and never says where a person is jailed. The court also keeps a records search page. The Clerk of Courts, 570-325-3637, answers questions about the search.

Deputies with the Sheriff's Office, 570-325-2821, serve bench warrants from Common Pleas, while local police and constables handle the rest. Browse the Sheriff's warrants page and Top 10 most wanted. For fugitives sought beyond the county, the U.S. Marshals rank their own 15 Most Wanted list, the FBI posts its wanted list, and the State Police publish a Ten Most Wanted sheet. To ask about a case by phone or in person, go to the Clerk of Courts, 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-3637. To clear a warrant, the person should report with a lawyer to the issuing judge's court, or phone that office for a new date.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania hears federal charges brought here. Its courthouse is at 235 N. Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-207-5600. The U.S. Attorney's office that prosecutes those cases sits at 235 N. Washington Avenue, Suite 311, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-348-2800.

Soon after a federal arrest, the court decides at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142) whether the person may go home on conditions. People released while the case runs report to U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, 235 N. Washington Avenue, Room 107, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-207-5840. The U.S. Marshals Service, 235 North Washington Avenue, Unit 215, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-346-7277, keeps anyone not released.

The federal defender's office, 201 Lackawanna Avenue, Suite 317, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-343-6285, represents people who cannot pay. After sentencing, find the person with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

An ICE detainer does not stop the criminal case. It can change what happens at the end of it, though. With Form I-247A, immigration officers may request that the jail keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, so officers can collect them (8 CFR 287.7(d)). That can happen right after bail is posted, after charges are dropped or after a sentence ends.

Galarza v. Szalczyk (3d Cir. 2014) lets a jail say no to a detainer. That case came from the federal appeals bench whose rulings bind Pennsylvania. Keeping a person in jail on the detainer by itself can expose the county to a lawsuit. That leaves each county jail to decide its own policy. Ask staff in Nesquehoning at 570-325-2211 how they handle detainers.

Make sure the defense lawyer knows about a detainer early, because it can shape bail and plea decisions. If ICE takes custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator or call the Philadelphia Field Office, 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.

The sentence's upper limit decides the place (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Under 2 years: the county jail, 331 Broad Street, Nesquehoning, PA 18240, 570-325-2211.
• 2 to 5 years: state prison as a rule. County time needs the jail's consent plus the District Attorney's and the judge's.
• 5 years or more: a state prison.

The Department of Corrections sends each new prisoner to a reception and classification center first. Sorting out security level and treatment needs there lasts weeks to months. Search the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate locator, or call the department at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Our Pennsylvania state prisons page has a write-up on every state institution.

Usually, yes. Under the Juvenile Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301 and following), most youths under 18 are sent to juvenile court rather than the criminal courts. Juvenile Probation runs that process from 76 Susquehanna Street, 1st Floor, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, 570-325-2417. A child who is not sent home stays at a youth detention center, separate from the Nesquehoning jail. Parents learn from that office which center it is and what comes next.

Some cases start in adult court instead. Murder, plus some violent offenses involving a gun or other deadly weapon, sends teens aged 15 to 17 directly to adult court. The defense may then seek a transfer down to juvenile court. Records of juvenile cases never reach the public UJS Web Portal.

The Crime Victims Act (18 P.S. § 11.101 and following) gives victims real rights here:

• Information about services for crime victims.
• Notice of key court events, plus the right to comment on bail conditions.
• Victims of injury crimes and burglary may speak up. They can do so before a plea or a dropped charge, and again at sentencing.
• Restitution, meaning repayment for losses, and the return of property.
• Notice when the accused is released from the county jail or escapes.

A victim who wants word of a release can enroll free with PA SAVIN at VINELink or 866-972-7284 (TTY 866-847-1298). Crime victims facing counseling costs, medical bills or lost wages can apply to the Victims Compensation Assistance Program, 800-233-2339. For case questions, call the District Attorney's Office at 570-325-2718.

If the accused is your relative, stay away from the victim and refuse to pass along any message. That kind of contact risks a bail violation and new charges.