In late 1998, the Chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's (PCCD) Juvenile Advisory Committee (JAC), Ron Sharp, informed juvenile detention that they had been selected as the committee's primary project for 1999.  The JAC convened a Detention Subcommittee, comprised of many detention administrators.  The purpose of this subcommittee, chaired by Alan Tezak, was to devise the best strategy for addressing the most pressing concerns of detention administrators.  All administrators were invited to a meeting in March 1999 to discuss their urgent unmet needs in providing secure detention.  Issues of primary concern included: 1) training in regulations, psychotropic medications, and care for clients with mental health issues; 2) conditions in the physical plant including general safety and bed space; 3) personnel issues including salaries, retention, and education; and 4) reimbursement rates for juvenile detention.

Health concerns, more specifically, mental health concerns quickly rose to the surface of the topics that needed to be addressed.  JDCAP worked closely with the JAC and the Detention Subcommittee to write a proposal to address the mental health needs of youth within detention.  The proposal was submitted to PCCD and the JAC for funding consideration in Fall 1999.  Funding was approved and the project started January of 2000.  The project is currently in its fourth and final phase which started on January 1, 2005 and is expected to conclude on June 30, 2006.  This phase will consist mainly of a project evaluation that will be conducted by Dr. Thomas Grisso and Valerie Williams of the National Youth Screening Assistance Project (NYSAP).