NCJ Number
207527
Date Published
June 2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the role of the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) in the placement and release of adjudicated youths from secure and residential facilities and the successful reentry of these youths back into their communities under the Division of Parole and Transitional Services and Probation Department.
Abstract
Each year, approximately 1,600 adolescents who have been adjudicated delinquent return home or back to their community from a court-ordered out-of-home placement in a secure or residential facility operated by the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC). All youths released from JJC facilities are released to some form of juvenile justice system supervision and support. For those youth placed under the authority of the JJC’s Division of Parole and Transitional Services, as well as the Probation Department, reentry back into their community can be met with many transition challenges. The challenge for parole and probation officers is to guide these adolescents in making these transitions by balancing surveillance with support to maximize a successful return to the community. This paper presents a statistical overview of adolescents committed and received by the JJC, and an identified trend in JJC handling increasing numbers of adolescents on commitment status and decreasing numbers on probation. A statistical overview is also presented on probationers placed in a JJC residential facility and those paroled under the supervision of the JJC’s Division of Parole and Transitional Services. Major issues and challenges identified affecting the reentry of these adolescents include: (1) the increasing prevalence of adolescents with psychiatric disorders; (2) the prevalence and incidence of family and community risk factors; and (3) the interrelationship between the JJC and the Department of Youth and Family Services (DYFS).