The Family Division of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of juvenile delinquency cases. The prosecution of juvenile delinquency cases is handled by the Family Court. Juvenile delinquency is defined as an act committed by an individual under the age of 18 that would be a crime or a disorderly persons offense if committed by an adult.
In addition to juvenile delinquency cases, the Family Division prosecutes adult criminal defendants who violate domestic violence restraining orders. The Division also handles domestic violence weapons forfeiture hearings.
The Family Division is comprised of five assistant prosecutors, one of whom serves as the Unit Director, and one who serves as a Deputy Director, four paralegal specialists, and support staff.
In January 2021, the Juvenile Section of the Family Unit Implemented Attorney General’s Directive No. 2020-12, which was formally issued on December 3, 2020. This Directive established policies, practices, and procedures to promote juvenile justice reform. This Directive added greater emphasis on alternatives, such as diversions, to formal prosecution, while continuing to promote public safety. The issuance of the Directive also coincided with the expansion by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) of the statewide complaint systems, eCDR, to include juvenile eCDR. Beginning in January 2021, all juvenile complaints were required to be issued using the juvenile eCDR system, to be consistent with the Attorney General Directive. Over 500 juvenile complaints are charged, screened, and prosecuted annually by the Family Division.
While many delinquency cases are retained by the Office for formal prosecution, there are a significant number of cases that are screened to court-supervised diversionary programs to give young, first-time offenders the opportunity to demonstrate their amenability to rehabilitation without the need for a formal court appearance. The Family Division screens each file to ensure that repetitive or serious acts of delinquency proceed to the formal court calendar. Of the formally prosecuted cases, the crimes range from petty offenses such as trespassing through the more serious crimes, up to and including sexual assault, robbery, and murder. On average, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office annually opens up more than 1,500 new criminal cases involving juvenile offenders.
As noted, the Family Division is also statutorily charged with the responsibility of prosecuting adult criminal defendants who violate domestic violence restraining orders. More than 350 cases involving contempt of domestic violence restraining orders and over 100 weapons forfeiture matters are screened each year. The goal of domestic violence prosecutions is to hold the abuser accountable while at the same time protecting the interests of the victim.