New Jersey Administrative Code › Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS › Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE › Section - Executive Order No. 42 (2018)

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
Establishment of the Task Force for the Continued Transformation of Youth Justice in New Jersey.
WHEREAS, through a partnership led by the Juvenile Justice Commission ("JJC") and the Judiciary, New Jersey is recognized as a national leader in the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative ("JDAI") as a result of successfully, sustainably, and safely reducing its incarcerated youth population; and
WHEREAS, while in 2003, the year before the JJC launched JDAI, there were approximately 12,000 youth admitted to county detention centers pending the resolution of their court cases, that number has dropped by almost 80% and, today, approximately 2,500 youth are admitted to such facilities pending the resolution of their cases; and
WHEREAS, a major focus of JDAI has been to reduce the disparate use of pretrial detention for minority youth, with youth of color accounting for 80% of the approximately 9,500-person reduction in youth incarcerated pending the outcomes of their cases; and
WHEREAS, while in 2003, the courts committed approximately 1,200 young people to the care of the JJC, by 2017, this number was reduced by 85%, to approximately 176 statewide, with youth of color accounting for 85%) of this reduction; and
WHEREAS, the JJC has not only led efforts to impact meaningful legislative change and amend state regulations, but also has reevaluated its own classification process and the criteria used in placement decisions for community residential homes, to allow the transfer of more youth from secure care to residential programs; and
WHEREAS, as a result of these changes, the percentage of JJC's youth in a community residential home instead of a secure facility has increased from 26% to 37% since September 2017; and
WHEREAS, through its partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a national leader in improving outcomes for young people, the JJC is committed to safely and significantly reducing out of home placement and incarceration, particularly for youth of color, in the most difficult cases; and
WHEREAS, for example, reforms in Camden, including changes to diversion practices that narrow the prison pipeline, enhanced community-based programs, and innovative probation practices, have reduced out of home placements between 2014 and 2017 by 33%, with youth of color accounting for 92% of the decrease; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, New Jersey committed to closing the New Jersey Training School for Boys, known as Jamesburg, and replacing it with smaller, regional facilities; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey is now the only state to be designated as a national model for juvenile detention reform by the Annie E. Casey Foundation; and
WHEREAS, although New Jersey is making significant strides, there is still significant work to be done, as the State, despite the efforts of all involved, currently has extreme racial disparities in youth incarceration rates, with a black child significantly more likely to be detained or committed than a white child, even though research shows black and white youth commit most offenses at similar rates; and
WHEREAS, the effectiveness and transparency of county Youth Services Commissions in creating impactful community-based programs varies across counties, and certain mandatory preventive and diversionary programs, such as the Attorney General Directive on Stationhouse Adjustments, are not being uniformly implemented across law enforcement agencies;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
1. There is hereby established the Task Force for the Continued Transformation of Youth Justice in New Jersey (the "Task Force"), which shall be responsible for providing recommendations to the Governor's Office, the Department of Law and Public Safety, other Executive Branch departments and agencies, and the Legislature on strategies and actions to continue the reform of New Jersey's Youth Justice System, including but not limited to the following:
a. Racial Disparities: Exploring an innovative and multifaceted approach to addressing New Jersey's severe racial disparities, drawing upon national best practices and community input;
b. Stationhouse Adjustments: Reviewing stationhouse adjustment data and developing standards to increase uniformity and accountability;
c. Youth Services Commissions and Community-Based Programs: Evaluating the current Youth Services Commission scheme and identifying areas to be strengthened and strategies to increase accountability, including funding, community member involvement, and data reporting;
d. Residential Facilities: Engaging in a comprehensive review of JJC non-secure facilities to ensure that those facilities are appropriate placements for youth and evaluating how they can more effectively be used as rehabilitative settings;
e. Reinvesting Funds into the Creation of a Community-Based System of Care: Conducting a fiscal analysis to determine the potential reinvestment of current youth incarceration funds into community-based programming, particularly programs in those communities most impacted by youth incarceration. The Task Force shall analyze funding streams and costs to provide for an appropriate reinvestment plan that reflects the realities of our current Youth Justice system, including the possibility of creating a dedicated funds lockbox for innovative community-based programs;
f. Facility Closure: Developing a deadline for the closure of the New Jersey Training School for Boys and the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility, and making recommendations on subsequent land use after the facilities have closed, and assessing the potential for closure of the Juvenile Medium Security Facility;
g. New Youth Facilities: Conducting a comprehensive review of national best practices in the development of secure youth facilities and making recommendations that will inform the creation of the new youth rehabilitation centers; and
h. The System of Granting Juvenile Parole: Conducting an analysis of national models for granting early release to youth in state custody, analyzing current practice in New Jersey, and making related recommendations.