ASSEMBLY, No. 835
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION
By Assemblyman ARNONE and Assemblywoman CRECCO
An Act to establish certain regional juvenile treatment centers and supplementing chapter 4 of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Juvenile Justice Commission created by P.L. ,c. (C. )(now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 2988 or Senate Bill No. 2211 shall establish and maintain one or more residential centers for the treatment of juveniles who have been adjudicated delinquent of sex offenses. The Juvenile Justice Commission may enter into a contract for a private entity to establish and maintain the programs set forth in this act if the Commission determines that this option is in the best interests of the State. For the purposes of this act, a sex offense shall include the following enumerated offenses: aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; kidnapping pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection c. of N.J.S.2C:13-1; endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the child pursuant to subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:24-4; endangering the welfare of a child pursuant to paragraph (4) of subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:24-4; luring or enticing pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1993, c.291 (C.2C:13-6); criminal sexual contact pursuant to N.J.S.2C:14-3b. if the victim is a minor; kidnapping pursuant to N.J.S.2C:13-1, criminal restraint pursuant to N.J.S.2C:13-2, or false imprisonment pursuant to N.J.S.2C:13-3 if the victim is a minor and the offender is not the parent of the victim.
2. a. Each center shall be designed and staffed to provide residential treatment for juveniles who have been adjudicated delinquent of a sexual offense. The treatment program shall include, but not be limited to: individual and group therapy and counseling; specialized psychological treatment; family involvement and support programs; academic and vocational educational programs and training; life and social skills training; and physical activities. To insure the most effective treatment of the juveniles admitted to the center, the Juvenile Justice Commission may limit the number of residents at each center.
b. Each center shall develop and provide an aftercare program for juvenile offenders who successfully complete the treatment and training programs during their residence at the center. The juvenile offender shall participate in an aftercare program for at least 18 months following the completion of his residence at the center. The aftercare program shall include, but not be limited to: outpatient treatment programs, including individual and group therapy and counseling; family involvement programs; community integration programs; and parent support groups.
Participation in the aftercare program may, at the court's discretion, be a condition of probation and may, at the discretion of the Parole Board, be a condition of parole or post-incarceration supervision.
3. This act shall take effect immediately but shall remain inoperative until the effective date of P.L. c. (C. )(now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 2988 of 1995 of Senate Bill No. 2211 of 1995).
STATEMENT
This bill directs the Juvenile Justice Commission to establish one or more residential treatment facilities for juveniles adjudicated delinquent for a sexual offense. The bill originally referred to the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services and this reference has been changed to refer to the Juvenile Justice Commission which is created by other pending legislation.
Prior to amendment, the bill identified the Pinelands Residential Group Center as the southern regional facility and suggested rural locations for other centers. That language (subsection b. of section 1) is deleted by these committee amendments. As amended the bill refers only to the establishment of one or more residential centers.
The centers are to be designed and staffed to provide residential treatment for juveniles adjudicated delinquent for a sexual offense. Prior to amendment the bill referred to juvenile males between the ages of 14 and 18 who had been convicted or adjudicated. The committee amendments eliminate the age and gender restrictions and eliminate those convicted from the scope of the bill.
The treatment program is to include: individual and group therapy and counseling; specialized psychological treatment; family and parent involvement and support programs; academic and vocational education; life and social skill training; and physical activities.
The centers also are to develop and provide aftercare programs for those juveniles who successfully complete their treatment and training programs. The bill specifies that the court may direct that participation in these programs constitute a condition of parole or probation.
The committee amendments omit section 3 of the bill which provided that a juvenile sex offender must be recommended for admission to one of the centers.
The amendments omit section 4 concerning removal of a juvenile offender who refused to participate in any treatment or training at the center and section 5 concerning rule-making.
The operation of this bill is tied to the effective date of the legislation creating the Juvenile Justice Commission.
Authorizes establishment of regional treatment centers for juvenile sex offenders.