Cryan Wants To Improve Intervention Program for Juvenile Offenders

Enhanced Use of ‘Station House Adjustment Program’ for Low-Level Offenses Will Help Prevent Divert Juveniles from the Criminal Justice System

TRENTON – Acting to divert juveniles who commit minor offenses from the criminal justice system, a Senate committee today approved legislation authored by Senator Joe Cryan that would enhance the use of an existing practice that allows police officers to divert young offenders from the criminal justice system with remedial actions that avoid formal complaints.

“A swift response that forces juvenile offenders to realize the consequences of their actions will help divert them away from the criminal justice system and prevent them from becoming repeat offenders,” said Senator Cryan, the former Union County Sheriff. “The early intervention that gets their parents involved and that requires remedial actions such as restitution and community service can be an effective and long-lasting means of crime prevention. It also provides the victims with a quick resolution and allows the offender to avoid a criminal record.”

Senator Cryan’s bill, S-2463, would require every law enforcement agency to make use of the “Station House Adjustment Program” that was established by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office but has been underutilized, according to a recent study. The bill would codify the Attorney General’s existing guidelines.

The station house adjustment program was introduced in 2005 a way to divert low-level juvenile offenders from the criminal justice system. However, a 2018 study by the American Civil Liberties Union found that law enforcement agencies are vastly underusing the program. According to the report, only six percent of the approximately 60,000 juveniles arrested from 2014 through 2016 were offered station house adjustments and that at least 112 police departments did not offer a single station house adjustment or diversionary program over the three years.

Under the program, a police officer can ask the parent or guardian of the juvenile along with the victim, if willing, to come to the police station and discuss a possible resolution to the case. The law enforcement officer would be required to warn the juvenile of the potential consequences of continued delinquent activity, such as fines, probation, loss of driver’s license, and incarceration, and the ramifications of a record of delinquency on future employment and educational opportunities. If the juvenile commits a subsequent offense or does not comply with the terms of the agreement, a juvenile delinquency complaint may be filed.

The bill would prohibit a station house adjustment from being offered if the victim objects.

The legislation was approved 5-0 by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.