COUNTY GOVERNMENT
JUDICIAL
Court of Common Pleas Departments
Adult Probation and Parole Services — This new administration office was created in 2000 to unify the adult probation and parole programs described below. The mission of the office is to ensure the legal accountability of people under its supervision by individualized direction, client-centered goal coordination, effective use of community-based resources, and swift and consistent use of prescribed sanctions. Units of this agency are:
Office of Standard Supervision — With the number of active cases at 5,261 in 2000, this office supervises the majority of offenders who are placed on probation or parole by the court. Divisions within the office are Intake Services (information gathering and assigning individuals), Standard Caseload, Designated Caseload (for offenders with special needs), and Institutional Parole Services (performed by staff at the prison and consisting of preparation of parole plans and related petitions/orders).
Impaired Driver Program — This unit manages those placed on court supervision for the criminal charge of Driving Under the Influence. Stressing treatment and education, the program uses electronic monitoring, counseling, and classroom education, trying to reduce the number of DUI offenders in the county. In 2000, some 2,689 persons were enrolled in the program.
Office of Community Resources — There are two distinct units in this office. The Community Service Program supervises all adults and juveniles court-ordered to perform community service as a condition of probation or parole. There were 2,100 offenders doing community service in 2000. The second unit, the Community Connections
Program, seeks to provide out-of-work, out-of-school youth ages 17-21 who are on probation/parole with the necessary skills to find and keep a job and pursue a realistic education plan.
Special Offenders Services — The first of its kind in the United States, this program is recognized as an international model for agencies that work with offenders who have mental health/mental retardation difficulties. Those on probation or parole who meet the diagnostic criteria are placed in one of the three units - Adult Mental Health, Adult Mental Retardation, or Juvenile Mental Retardation. Each offender is assigned a court-funded probation officer and a MH/MR-funded caseworker who help the person work toward maintaining stability and reaching his/her potential.
Court of Common Pleas Judges — Since 1791, Lancaster County, comprising the second judicial district, has elected judges as specified in the state Constitution. Twelve judges, each elected for a ten-year term, plus two senior judges, preside. The areas of judicial responsibility encompass civil, criminal, family, and juvenile matters, and include an orphans’ division. Salaries in 2001 were $116,065 for associate judges and $117,182 for the president judge.
Court Reporters — Official court reporters record verbatim testimony of court proceedings and prepare transcripts for appeal purposes and other requested proceedings. If a case is on appeal, the original transcript is filed with either the clerk of courts or the prothonotary, and the public is allowed to review those transcripts. Requests for copies of a transcript are handled through this office.
District Court Administrator — This office, established in 1974, relieves the judges of administrative work. Duties include scheduling criminal, civil, family, and orphans’ hearings, jury management, bail administration, budgets, implementation of policies set by the president judge, Board of Judges, and/or the State Court Administrator and oversight of nine departments related to the judicial branch.
District Justices — Since 1970, district justices have been directly connected with the courts under the unified court system. District justices handle all traffic cases, summary cases, and civil cases involving amounts up to $8,000. They also set bail and conduct preliminary hearings in criminal cases and determine whether such cases should be bound over to the Court of Common Pleas. The justices, who are elected for six-year terms, need not have legal training, although they must successfully complete a training course before being certified. The 2001 salary, paid by the state, was $57,475. However, their clerks’ salaries and their offices and supplies are furnished by the county.
Domestic Relations — This office is responsible for establishment of child support orders and collection of the support monies. The Child Support Enforcement Program is a government-supervised effort to obtain child and spousal support payments. When agreement cannot be reached between the parties, a conference officer makes a recommendation which is reviewed by the Family Court judge. More than $46.5 million was collected by this office in 1999.
Juvenile Probation and Parole — The juvenile probation office, located on the first floor of the old courthouse, provides supervision and counseling for juvenile offenders between the ages of 10 and 17. Services are coordinated with schools, agencies, and other programs serving youth and families.
Jury Commissioners — The two elected jury commissioners, along with the president judge, comprise the Jury Selection Commission. Jurors are selected by computer from voter registration and driver’s license registration rolls for the various criminal and civil sessions of court established by the Board of Judges. In 2002, the post pays a base salary of $6,715.
Law Library — The library, located on the 3rd floor of the old courthouse, is maintained for the benefit of the Bench, the Bar, and the public and is open weekdays 8:30a.m.-5 p.m. Telephone: 299-8090.
Masters — Members of the Lancaster County Bar Association are appointed by the court to preside as masters at divorce and juvenile detention hearings and as custody conference officers in custody hearings. Judges review the proceedings and findings of all such hearings, and findings are not final until approved by a judge.
Records & Archives — Established in 1975 and located on the ground floor of the old courthouse, the records and archives services office maintains all of the non-current, permanent records of the clerk of courts, prothonotary, recorder of deeds, and register of wills. Such materials as deeds and mortgages (beginning in 1729), estate files (beginning in 1730), and marriage licenses (recorded continuously from 1885) are kept here.
COURT-RELATED DEPARTMENTS
Clerk of Courts — This office maintains all documents pertinent to adult and juvenile criminal court proceedings. A staff member from the office attends all criminal court sessions during jury selection and records verdicts and sentences. The office also processes bail, reports depositions to state agencies, licenses private detectives, registers constables, records tax collector bonds, and processes appeals to state appellate courts. Current efforts include the transition to a fully automated system for the management of adult and juvenile cases and the use of document scanning for the retrieval of criminal case records. Located on the second floor of the new courthouse, the office is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The clerk of courts is an elective office paying $61,504 in 2002. Telephone: 299-8275; Fax 295-3686; E-mail: clerkofcourts@co.lancaster.pa.us Constables — Approximately 90 constables and deputy constables serve throughout the county, acting primarily as process servers for the district justices. One constable is elected for a six-year term in each city or borough ward and in each township.
Coroner — The coroner’s office investigates all sudden, unattended, criminal, and suspicious deaths and schedules autopsies when warranted. The coroner, an elected official, will earn $61,504 in 2002.
District Attorney — The district attorney is the chief law enforcement officer for the county. This office provides legal advice to police departments throughout the county, assists them in determining what criminal charges should be filed, and prosecutes the misdemeanor or felony crime cases in court - over 5,000 cases per year. In addition to the 21 full-time district attorneys, the district attorney also appoints county detectives who assist local police departments, conduct special investigations for the district attorney, and operate the Lancaster County Drug Task Force. The office also maintains the Child Abuse Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, the Gang Prosecution Unit, and the Major Crimes Unit. It prosecutes juvenile court cases and violators of Protection from Abuse orders, and handles all appeals. The district attorney, elected for a four-year term at a 2001 salary of
$115,065, serves on the prison board and as chairman of the Victim Policy Board, which gives guidance to the office’s Victim/Witness Services Unit.
Prothonotary — The prothonotary is a clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, processing and administering the records of all civil proceedings. This office also serves as a processing agent for the U.S. Passport Agency and the Immigration and Naturalization Department. Also an elective office, this post pays $61,504. The office, located on the second floor of the new courthouse, is open 8:30a.m.-5p.m. Telephone: 299-8282; Website: www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco/cwp/view.asp?a=555&Q=262419&lancoNav=|5720|6220|5767|
Public Defender — Required by state law, the public defender’s office is responsible for providing legal representation to any eligible indigent person without counsel and charged with an offense that could lead to imprisonment or detention. The office is located at 50 N. Duke Street. Telephone: 299-8131.
Recorder of Deeds — When he founded Pennsylvania, William Penn saw a need to keep track of land transactions for the sake of fairness. On May 28, 1715, an act was passed ordering all conveyances of property to be tabulated under government supervision and made available for public scrutiny. These records were to be held in perpetuity so that the chain of title and ownership could always be documented. Thus, the office of Recorder of Deeds was initiated in Pennsylvania, and its purpose remains unchanged. All documents relating to real estate, such as deeds, mortgages, and rights-of-way are kept here, as well as such lesser known records as cattle brands and foreign birth and marriage certificates. In 2001, the system was computerized, making document searches much easier, in person or via the internet. An elective office, the recorder will be paid $61,504 in 2002.
Register of Wills — The register of wills, an elective office which in 2002 will be paid $63,504, probates the wills of county residents, collects state inheritance taxes, and maintains records related to wills and fiduciary accounts. Serving also as clerk of Orphan’s Court, this office files all proceedings related to adoptions and to the estates of incompetents, and issues marriage licenses. Located at 50 North Duke Street (2nd floor), the office is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., except the marriage license application hours end at 4:30 p.m. (Telephone 295-3522 for information on this application process). Telephones: probate and estates 295-5913; adoptions & guardianships 299-8243; Marriage Bureau regarding marriage records 295-3533; inheritance tax information299-8246; and birth certificate information 295-2001. Website: http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/lanco/cwp/view.asp?a=562&Q=262545&dsftns=5773
Sheriff — The sheriff’s office serves and enforces all orders of the Court of Common Pleas, provides security for the courts and courthouse complex, transports prisoners, keeps the peace, arrests violators of the law and fugitives, issues concealed weapons permits and licenses sellers of firearms, provides a K-9 explosive detection unit, assists other law enforcement agencies in the county, and performs other duties as requested by the courts and the county commissioners. An elected official, the salary in 2002 is $61,504.