Juvenile Eligibility

Determining Eligibility

Allegheny County OPD is accepting new clients via telephone only. Please gather all your court paperwork and call 412-350-3504 to reach the Juvenile Division.

Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 am - 4:30 pm.

Please call at least 3 full business days before your court date. Please be mindful that we are closed for business on government holidays.

Court Paperwork

When a juvenile phones the office, he/she should have these documents:

• The Delinquency Petition from the Office of Juvenile Probation;
• Any other papers received about the case.

After we have determined that the child is charged with an offense covered by the Public Defender Act, and that no conflict of interest exists, the child will be interviewed about the charges. If for some reason, this office cannot represent the child, we will make arrangements for the child to retain a Court Appointed attorney outside of our office.

Parents: If your child is detained by Juvenile Probation, you do not need to do anything. Your child will automatically be interviewed at the time of or prior to the detention hearing (at least 72 hours after detention) and an attorney will be assigned to the case.

Contact Prior to the Hearing

The assigned attorney has the obligation of being familiar with the case before it goes to court. Very often, (especially in more serious cases) every effort is made and it is necessary that there be communication with the client child and/or the parents prior to the day of trial. However, the decision as to whether such contact is necessary belongs to the assigned attorney. Please do not expect that in every case the attorney will be calling the parent prior to the day of the hearing.