Juvenile Justice System – New Jersey

Number of minors in N.J. youth detention centers declined significantly, report shows, By Matt Friedman, October 24, 2012, Star-Ledger: “A new report shows that the number of minors in the counties’ youth detention centers has declined by more than half since New Jersey implemented a program to divert them to alternatives in 2004, saving the state an estimated $16 million. The report, issued today by Advocates for Children in New Jersey, studied the effect of the eight-year-old Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. ‘New Jersey’s juvenile justice system is, by and large, smarter, safer and savings taxpayer dollars,’ according to the report, which noted that just 3 percent of youth re-offend while participating in the program. For children arrested but not deemed a threat to public safety, the program changes the focus from locking them up to alternative means of supervision, like electronic monitoring and home visits. It also provides them with job training, counseling services and other services…”