Non-secure youth shelters play a critical role in managing a child’s welfare by providing a range of services for dependent children, as well as young people who are under the jurisdiction of the delinquency system.
Unfortunately (at the time this bill was introduced), Pennsylvania law does not allow a young person who becomes violent with shelter employees to be charged with aggravated assault unless that child is already in the delinquency system. There is an exhaustive list of individuals who are protected from assault under 18 Pa. C.S. §2702(c), including teachers, police officers, members of the General Assembly, the Governor, correctional facility employees, and others.
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