I know someone who was found guilty of a crime. I can see their docket sheet on the UJS portal, but it doesn't seem to have information on what their sentence is. I would like to know what sentence they received. Is there any way to find that information? Or is sentencing not public record in PA?

Lackawanna county.

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horse-fence t1_j0waju6 wrote on December 19, 2022 at 10:05 PM

PAeDocket App

discogeek t1_j0wbzyx wrote on December 19, 2022 at 10:15 PM

It's public info. Depends on the court / crime where you'd find the info, but most of it is online these days.

https://www.pacourts.us/courts/courts-of-common-pleas/docket-sheets

festerwl t1_j0w7hqf wrote on December 19, 2022 at 9:44 PM

Try here https://pcl.uscourts.gov/pcl/index.jsf

finderdj t1_j114jj8 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 10:18 PM

Note: helpful system, but federal only (not for PA state crimes)

klzjr95 t1_j0ws8do wrote on December 20, 2022 at 12:13 AM

The person may not have been sentenced yet.

SailorSpyro OP t1_j0zcre8 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 3:23 PM

I think this may be why I can't find it. I just didn't know the docket sheet is where it'll go. It's been 2 months but idk how long it usually takes to sentence.

TDarryl t1_j0wflns wrote on December 19, 2022 at 10:40 PM

Sometimes it takes a little bit for the sentence to be updated on the docket. It can depend on the court's staff and how backed up they are

SailorSpyro OP t1_j0zcjm5 wrote on December 20, 2022 at 3:22 PM

I'm thinking this is what's happening. Or he hasn't been sentenced yet, though it's been 2 months. Idk how long it usually takes. I had the docket sheet and just didn't know if that's where it gets reported

TDarryl t1_j0zdaad wrote on December 20, 2022 at 3:27 PM

That is possible too. If he pled guilty or was found guilty, sentencing could be later. They may do an evaluation to advise the judge on sentencing. That's supposed to happen within 90 days but can be extended longer by agreement. Good luck.

h3mip3nultim4te t1_j0wxbwq wrote on December 20, 2022 at 12:51 AM

You’re probably looking at the magistrate docket sheet and there’s a common pleas court case. The sentence if there is one yet will be reflected on the common pleas docket sheet.

[deleted] t1_j0zxatk wrote on December 20, 2022 at 5:38 PM

[removed]

finderdj t1_j114h4z wrote on December 20, 2022 at 10:17 PM

The PAUJS portal is fed directly from the statewide criminal case management computer system. In almost every county in PA, any filings made on a criminal case go into the same case management computer system and then will reflect on the UJS portal at roughly the same time. However, the public docket sheets and case summaries on the UJS Portal are all you get - public access doesn't mean easy access - to read a particular document, you usually have to go to the physical filing office and request a copy (and pay for said copy).

Some counties will offer public access to their computer systems, but with criminal, most don't bother because the state handles UJS for them. I googled Lackawanna, just to see, and got this page. I checked out the system they use (INFOCON, think 90s computer database) and it appears to be civil and orphans court only. UJS appears to be your primary go-to for this situation.

The Docket sheet on UJS Portal WILL reflect the sentence of that person when they are sentenced. It's usually on the second or third page of a docket sheet and will specify each charge and the resulting disposition of each charge (i.e. prison, probation, fine, etc) in succession. The last pages of a docket sheet are a timeline of the case by each docket entry, i.e. each filing or hearing. You can piece together a lot about the case based on that. It's possible this person has been convicted of the crime but not yet sentenced by the judge. Sentencing can occur soon after a trial or a long time after, depending on all sorts of factors (requests to reschedule/postpone, pre-sentence investigations done by the state to offer evidence at a sentencing hearing, etc).