Residents of Lehigh County have a right to a safe and secure community. Decisions made and programs administered by the department should further the security of the community. Therefore, when determining the disposition to recommend to the Juvenile Court concerning a juvenile offender, a conscious effort is made to protect the community's interest.

Each person, whether an adult or a juvenile, is accountable for their actions and behavior. Whenever a child commits an offense against a person or property, the child incurs an obligation to the victim of that offense. Consequently, juvenile offenders will be accountable for their offenses to their victims by compensating them for their losses to the extent they are financially able. Therefore, the Juvenile Probation Department recommends restitution and community service as part of the disposition for juvenile offenders. Further, the department encourages and expects juvenile offenders and their parent/guardian to be in compliance with the terms of any dispositional decisions reached with the department.

Juvenile offenders who come before the Lehigh County Juvenile Probation Department and Court should ultimately leave the system more capable of living productively and responsibly in the community than when they were initially referred to the department and the Juvenile Court. Juvenile offenders who come before the Juvenile Court have, by definition, strayed from positive community participation. Therefore, these offenders need education and training to enable them to gain the skills necessary to live productively in the community. Every juvenile receives an individual assessment to determine his or her strengths and weaknesses and to formulate a plan. The department will provide skill development techniques designed to impart positive living, learning, and working skills for juvenile offenders. In addition, treatment programs will be provided for children whose needs are greater than simply the development of living skills.