For almost 70 years, the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission of Pennsylvania has been responsible for establishing standards that are used in the juvenile court system in the Commonwealth.

They have been a flagship to the rest of the nation in this area. Besides setting parameters for best practices, they also seek to highlight those who perform exceptionally well. Not every year, but when an individual truly deserves recognition, the JCJC awards their highest award, the Chief Juvenile Probation Office Award. On Wednesday, November 4th, the chief’s award was presented to the recently retired Lycoming County Juvenile Probation Chief Edward R. Robbins.

Ed Robbins joins a who’s who in the history of Pennsylvania juvenile justice. Ironically, Ed did not plan on spending his entire career supervising young people who broke the law. After graduating from Muncy High School in 1982, he enrolled at Mansfield University to study Criminal Justice. Providence led him to do a senior year internship in 1986 at Lycoming County’s Juvenile Probation Department, and he knew this was his calling. After graduation, he was hired to work at the department, and within ten years, Ed Robbins would rise through the ranks to become the head of the department. He served in that capacity for 24 years, finally retiring in July of this year.

Few people know how difficult it is to work with troubled youth. There are hundreds of cases that the county is monitoring at any one time. Obviously, parents are the most important to integrate into the process. But, when the parents themselves also have issues they are dealing with, it is necessary to partner with other agencies. The Juvenile Probation Department may get involved with the county’s Children and Youth Services and even volunteer agencies such as the Salvation Army or other local churches.

More often than not, it is necessary to contract with professional services. And when there are special problems, such as violence or sex offenders, it is necessary to utilize a residential youth treatment center. Ed Robbins personally approved each and every program annually. In the past five years, I have witnessed many occasions when Ed would explain to the county commissioners at their weekly meetings about the intricate nuances that he had to navigate to ensure that this was the best possible program and the county would receive the best possible price. Ed was one of the very few that the commissioners did not request to go back and try again. They knew that when Ed Robbins presented a contract, it was as thoroughly researched and refined as it possibly could be.

The key to Ed’s success was that for over three decades, he looked forward to going to work every day. For him, it was not just the administrative activity, but the opportunity to make a positive difference in hundreds of lives every year. It was going to high school graduations to witness those receiving diplomas that possibly never would have were it not for his efforts. It was hearing about jobs and accomplishments of young men and women who recognized that their lives could have taken a steep downward trajectory had it not been for Ed and his team’s work. It was being stopped on the street and being told what a difference he made in someone’s life. It went way beyond a paycheck — and that is what the JCJC Award is all about.

The best news is that Ed is not going to spend his retirement trying to lower his golf handicap, but rather is sharing his insights with a new generation of future crime fighters.

Since 2002, he has been a part-time adjunct faculty member at the Lycoming College, and since his retirement, he is now teaching several courses there. In January, when the college will be more or less on normal footings, Ed will teach full-time in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department.

It speaks well of the leadership at Lycoming College that they recognize Ed Robbins as a diamond in their own backyard. This exceptional award from the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission of Pennsylvania is proof positive of that fact.

Congratulations to a superb public servant, Ed Robbins!