NEW JERSEY - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF JUVENILE CONFERENCE COMMITTEES IN NEW JERSEY

• NCJ Number: 42700
• Author(s): D J BERKMAN; H M GOLDSTEIN; J F SHENK; E HARKEWICZ
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 31 pages
• Corporate Author: New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT SUMMARIZES THE CURRENT STATUS OF JUVENILE CONFERENCE COMMITTEES IN NEW JERSEY. WHILE A FULL EVALUATION WAS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THIS SURVEY, TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS ARE OFFERED.

Abstract

CREATED BY THE NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT IN 1953, JUVENILE CONFERENCE COMMITTEES ARE MANDATED TO DEAL WITH JUVENILE BEHAVIOR NEITHER HARMFUL ENOUGH FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION NOR INNOCUOUS ENOUGH TO BE OVERLOOKED BY THE COMMUNITY. CASES COME TO THE COMMITTEES ON REFERRAL FROM THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURTS. ONLY FIRST OFFENDERS CHARGED WITH MINOR INFRACTIONS ARE REFERRED. TRUANCY, MALICIOUS MISCHIEF, TRESPASSING, MINOR ASSAULT AND BATTERY, MINOR THEFTS, AND PUBLIC DISTURBANCE ARE SOME OF THE CHARGES AGAINST REFERRED YOUTH. IT IS INTENDED THAT APPEARANCE BEFORE THE COMMITTEES WILL BOTH MOTIVATE AND PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR BEHAVIORAL CHANGE BEFORE MORE SERIOUS INFRACTIONS OCCUR. THE COMMITTEES ALSO BRING LOCAL CITIZENRY IN CONTACT WITH THE DELINQUENCY PROBLEM AND REDUCE THE TIME JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURT MUST SPEND ON MINOR CASES. DATA FOR THE SURVEY WAS COLLECTED THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRES SENT TO ALL PROBATION DEPARTMENTS. TENTATIVE ASSESSMENTS DRAWN FROM THE STUDY ARE AS FOLLOWS: ACCEPTANCE OF THE COMMITTEE CONCEPT VARIES FROM COUNTY TO COUNTY AND LOCALE TO LOCALE; REPRESENTATION OF ALL SOCIO-ECONOMIC ELEMENTS IN A COMMUNITY IS LACKING ON SOME COMMITTEES; REPRESENTATION OF FEMALES ON COMMITEES IS NOT ADEQUATE; AND OBJECTIVITY MAY BE JEOPARDIZED BY THE ROLE CONFLICTS OF SOME MEMBERS....RCB