The Intake and Screening Unit is staffed by several assistant prosecutors, including a Unit Director, as well as two paralegals, and numerous support personnel.
In cooperation with the Office’s three Trial Teams, the Unit receives and reviews all indictable adult complaints, along with any related non-indictable charges and/or motor-vehicle tickets, from the 53 municipalities in Monmouth County. Police reports, criminal case histories, and any other relevant documentation is assembled in a case file and sent to the Unit Director for assignment. After the case is reviewed, a decision is made to forward it for presentation to the Grand Jury, list the case for pre-indictment court, remand the charges as lesser offenses to the municipal court, or administratively dismiss the charges outright. Relevant screening factors include the following: the facts of the case, the strength of the evidence, the possibility of evidence being suppressed by a court, the defendant’s prior criminal history, the wishes of the victim, the rehabilitative needs of the defendant, and the impact of the crime on society in general. Some cases originally referred to a Grand Jury are re-screened when further information becomes available.
The Intake Unit receives and helps screen approximately 6,000 cases a year. As a result of the screening process, approximately 3,000 defendants are remanded to the appropriate municipal court, and approximately 500 defendants see their cases administratively dismissed. Approximately 2,500 defendants are indicted through the Grand Jury process.
The Intake Unit also incorporates other programs that represent an alternative to traditional prosecution, namely Recovery Court and Pretrial Intervention (PTI).
PTI is a program that diverts a criminal defendant from the normal course of prosecution. PTI, which lasts from one to three years, requires a defendant to fulfill certain conditions, similar to probation, when admitted to the program. Upon successful completion of the program, the indictment is dismissed. The application process requires the PTI Prosecutor to review the report prepared by criminal case management and make a recommendation to the County Prosecutor whether to accept or reject the defendant.
The purpose of Recovery Court is to provide a treatment-based alternative to worthy prison-bound offenders. One of the roles of the Recovery Court Prosecutor is to review each application for Recovery Court. The Assistant Prosecutor assigned to Recovery Court determines whether each defendant is legally eligible for Recovery Court, and if so, whether the Prosecutor’s Office should object to a defendant’s application. In deciding whether to object to an application, the Prosecutor’s Office considers factors such as the extent to which a crime was motivated by a compulsion to satisfy an addiction, and the extent to which a defendant may constitute a danger to the community.
In cooperation with the Office’s three Trial Teams, the Unit receives and reviews all indictable adult complaints, along with any related non-indictable charges and/or motor-vehicle tickets, from the 53 municipalities in Monmouth County. Police reports, criminal case histories, and any other relevant documentation is assembled in a case file and sent to the Unit Director for assignment. After the case is reviewed, a decision is made to forward it for presentation to the Grand Jury, list the case for pre-indictment court, remand the charges as lesser offenses to the municipal court, or administratively dismiss the charges outright. Relevant screening factors include the following: the facts of the case, the strength of the evidence, the possibility of evidence being suppressed by a court, the defendant’s prior criminal history, the wishes of the victim, the rehabilitative needs of the defendant, and the impact of the crime on society in general. Some cases originally referred to a Grand Jury are re-screened when further information becomes available.
The Intake Unit receives and helps screen approximately 6,000 cases a year. As a result of the screening process, approximately 3,000 defendants are remanded to the appropriate municipal court, and approximately 500 defendants see their cases administratively dismissed. Approximately 2,500 defendants are indicted through the Grand Jury process.
The Intake Unit also incorporates other programs that represent an alternative to traditional prosecution, namely Recovery Court and Pretrial Intervention (PTI).
PTI is a program that diverts a criminal defendant from the normal course of prosecution. PTI, which lasts from one to three years, requires a defendant to fulfill certain conditions, similar to probation, when admitted to the program. Upon successful completion of the program, the indictment is dismissed. The application process requires the PTI Prosecutor to review the report prepared by criminal case management and make a recommendation to the County Prosecutor whether to accept or reject the defendant.
The purpose of Recovery Court is to provide a treatment-based alternative to worthy prison-bound offenders. One of the roles of the Recovery Court Prosecutor is to review each application for Recovery Court. The Assistant Prosecutor assigned to Recovery Court determines whether each defendant is legally eligible for Recovery Court, and if so, whether the Prosecutor’s Office should object to a defendant’s application. In deciding whether to object to an application, the Prosecutor’s Office considers factors such as the extent to which a crime was motivated by a compulsion to satisfy an addiction, and the extent to which a defendant may constitute a danger to the community.