NCJ Number
131279
Date Published
Unknown
Length
140 pages
Annotation
New Jersey's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act requires the submission of a 3-year plan which describes the State's juvenile justice and social service systems and provides statistical data on juveniles processed through the systems and other service providers and advocacy groups.
Abstract
The 3-year plan for 1988-1990 indicates that New Jersey's 21 counties have made a concerted effort to create uniformity in the juvenile justice process. For example, as of September 1978, every county was required to implement an intake screening unit. Further, guidelines have been developed by New Jersey's Division of Criminal Justice to give police officers assistance in making decisions on what course to follow in the handling of juveniles. Referrals are made to the juvenile justice system by various sources, and juveniles are diverted at several points (initial police contact, court referral, and court disposition). In 1986, 95,429 juvenile arrests were made, and the most frequent offenses involved larceny-theft, disorderly conduct, simple assault, criminal-malicious mischief, and drug abuse violations. The 3-year plan gives service descriptions and statistical data for juvenile-family crisis intervention units, court intake, detention and shelter care, assignment for court hearings, disposition, probation, and parole. The service network and advocacy for juveniles is described. 53 tables