New Jersey county seeks detention alternatives for juvenile offenders

Just as with crimes committed by adults, crimes committed by juveniles may include a range of severity from mischief that results in slight damage or minor injury to heinous crimes that result in death or serious injury. One New Jersey county is trying an alternative to sending juvenile offenders to detention centers. Instead, an offender who commits a minor juvenile crime may be sent to a private home to live with a foster family who has been trained to care for those with behavioral issues.

The organization that has been awarded the contract to manage the program has been offering similar services to people with intellectual, developmental and behavioral problems for 100 years. But this is the first alternative program for juveniles it has undertaken. Monmouth County has agreed to finance the program through the end of 2013 with an option to extend the contract if officials are satisfied with the results.

In addition to offering an alternative to a detention center, they offer an alternative for juveniles who, even though not sentenced to a detention center, cannot return home. In some instances, the offense committed would cause it to be inappropriate for the juvenile to return to the home. In other circumstances, the family may not want them to return home. In these cases, the juvenile would likely have to report to a detention center without any other options.

New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice Commission has been making efforts to reduce the use of detention centers as the only available alternative for juvenile crime. Law enforcement officials screen juvenile offenders and score their behavior by looking at criteria such as the seriousness of the offense, prior criminal history and other evidence of delinquency such as running away and not showing up for court. The criteria may then be used to make recommendations to a judge that detention is not necessary, but the judge may still feel that some form of detention is warranted. Without an alternative such as the one being implemented, the only option might still be a detention center. Only time will tell if this program is a suitable solution for minor offenses committed by juveniles.

Source: The Asbury Park Press NJ, “Youthful offenders may avoid jail,” Kathleen Hopkins, Oct. 1, 2012