Office of Juvenile Services

Telephone: 609-292-7088
FAX: 609-777-1795
Deputy Public Defender Cynthia Samuels

The Office of Juvenile Services was created in January 2001 as a central office for planning, policy and training related to all aspects of cases involving juvenile offenders.

However, the office’s roots go back to 1999, when the OPD commissioned a study of the state’s juvenile courts to determine what steps could be taken to help young offenders avoid further involvement in the system. With an eye toward making a young offender’s first offense his last, the Office of the Public Defender studied every aspect of the juvenile system. The study was conducted by Stanley Friedman, a Mount Holly-based pool attorney.

Among Friedman’s findings were the need for a stronger social-service component to the agency’s representation of juveniles. Juvenile attorneys handling anywhere from 300 to 500 cases had little time to devote to finding social services to help their clients correct the underlying problems that led to their interactions with the courts. Based on that recommendation, the OPD secured a grant from the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission in mid-2000 and established a pilot program in the Camden region in which social workers become an integral part of the juvenile defense team.

As part of the program, social work students from Rutgers University’s Camden campus work with the young offenders to find the most appropriate services for their particular problems, be they at home, at school or with substance abuse.

In addition, the Office of Juvenile Services was established to coordinate further efforts toward improving the way the OPD deals with young offenders. As a central clearinghouse for information, the office can help juvenile attorneys throughout the state share valuable information and training strategies. The deputy in charge of the office is Cynthia Samuels, a veteran of the OPD who has specialized in juvenile cases, and is headquartered at the Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton.