Covering the muncipalities of West Goshen, Westtown and Thornbury Townships, Judge William D. Kraut exercises jurisdiction over traffic violations, summary criminal cases, preliminary felony and misdemeanor cases, civil cases, small claims cases up to $8,000, truancy and Township ordinance violations. District Court 15-2-03 is headquartered in the Government Services Center on Westtown Road.
Located in Suite 2100 of the Chester County Justice Center, the Department of Adult Probation and Parole is responsible for supervising released offenders and providing rehabilitation. The department also uses investigative reports to assist in making sentencing and parole decisions. The department director is Christopher Murphy.
Located in the Chester County Justice Center, Chester County Domestic Relations is a division of the court that makes rulings in child support cases. It also monitors and enforces child support orders as well as establishing paternity. Chester County Domestic Relations is located in suite 34oo of the justice center.
Located in the Chester County Justice Center in suite 1400, the Clerk of Courts is responsible for maintaining records for all criminal cases as well as posting bail, docketing criminal records and naming costs and fines for criminal cases. The Clerk of Courts is an elected official who is also responsible for maintaining criminal court dockets and providing a storage space for evidence exhibits. The Chester County Clerk of Courts is Frank McElwaine.
Located in the Chester County Justice Center, the Chester County Court Reporters is responsible for providing a word for word account of municipal and common pleas court proceedings. It is also responsible for maintaining all exhibits admitted into those proceedings, and it must provide a record of those proceedings upon request. William Handy is the chief court reporter.
The Chester County Public Defender office is responsible for providing lawyers to those who cannot provide one for themselves. The public defender office will represent individuals involved in cases that may involve jail time, juvenille court hearing, parole and probation hearings, and some non-support and protection from abuse cases. Its main goal is to meet with new clients within one to two weeks of arrest.
Chester County District Court 15-2-05 is responsible for processing motor vehicle violations, summary offenses and local ordinance violations. Landlord-tenant matters and civil claims that do not exceed $8,000 are also processed. Criminal cases are filed at the appropriate District Court for arraignments and preliminary hearings. The judge for District 15-2-05 is Chester F. Darlington. The Court covers the Borough of Malvern and the townships of Willistown, East Goshen and East Whiteland.
Chester County Juvenile Probation, located in suite 3100 of the Chester County Justice Center, is responsible for providing probation services for delinquent youth. The ultimate goal of the department is to ensure accountability and develop skills while still protecting the victim. The department is overseen by Marietta Lamb-Mawby.
The Chester County Bail and Pretrial Agency is a division of the Adult Probation and Parole Department. It is located in suite 2300 of the Chester County Justice Center. The agency is responsible for investigating and providing recommendations about bail risk. It is also responsible for monitoring defendants released on bail and notifying the court of any violations of the defendant's bail conditions.