Skip to main navigationSkip to News Headlines
Global Navigation
Office of The Attorney General
The State of New Jersey Office of The Attorney General (Dept. of Law & Public Safety) The State of New Jersey NJ Home Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Home
OAG Home OAG Contact
Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control
Division of Consumer Affairs
Division of Criminal Justice
Division on Civil Rights
Division of Gaming Enforcement
Division of Highway Traffic Safety
Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Juvenile Justice Commission
JJC Facilities
Moving Through The Juvenile Justice Commission Parole
JJC Specialized Needs Services
JJC Gang Awareness
JJC Localized Programs
Division of Law
NJ Racing Commission
Public Integrity and Accountablity
State Athletic Control Board
Division of NJ State Police
Victims of Crime Compensation Board
OPRA - Open Public Records Act
Juvenile Justice Commission
Juvenile Justice Commission
spacer spacer spacer
 

Prevention and Early Intervention

 
  back to index  
     
  Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)  
spacer spacer spacer
 
 
 
spacer spacer spacer
  In 2004, the Annie E. Casey Foundation selected New Jersey to be among the first states to replicate the nationally recognized JDAI. JDAI was developed in response to national trends reflecting a drastic increase in the use of secure detention for juveniles despite decreases in juvenile arrests, and the resulting overcrowding of youth detention centers nationwide. In New Jersey, for example, between 1993 and 2002 juvenile arrests for “index” offenses (i.e., the most serious offenses) decreased by 44.8 percent and overall juvenile arrests decreased by 24.7 percent. However, during the same 10-year period average daily population in detention increased by 37.7 percent. These changes led to serious overcrowding in New Jersey’s county-operated detention facilities. In 1996, for example, New Jersey’s detention facilities were operating at 166 percent of approved capacity.  
  Juvenile detention is the temporary placement of a youth accused of a delinquent act, while awaiting the final outcome of his or her case in court. The purpose of detention is to house youths who, by virtue of their alleged offenses or documented prior histories, pose a serious public safety or flight risk. The goal of JDAI as a systems-change initiative is to create more effective and efficient processes surrounding the use of detention. A primary goal of JDAI is to make sure that secure detention is used for serious and chronic youthful offenders, and that effective alternatives are available for other youth who can be safely supervised in the community while awaiting final court disposition. JDAI also works to redirect resources toward successful reform strategies and to improve conditions of confinement in detention facilities for those youth who require this most secure level of supervision.  
  JDAI provides a framework of strategies that help reduce the inappropriate use of secure juvenile detention, while maintaining public safety and court appearance rates. A major focus of the work is reducing the disparate use of detention for minority youth.  
  Significant cost-savings have been realized as the result of JDAI in New Jersey. The excess space created by population reductions has allowed several counties to close their detention centers and house their youth in other counties’ facilities. These agreements resulted in millions of dollars of cost savings for the sending counties and substantial revenue increases for the receiving counties.  
     
  The JJC is the lead agency for JDAI in New Jersey, providing the management and staffing infrastructure integral to New Jersey’s success as a JDAI site. The JDAI has earned the broad support of government at both the state and local level, exemplifying the best of interagency and intergovernmental collaboration. The Attorney General’s Office and the New Jersey Judiciary have been instrumental in developing and supporting JDAI. At the state level, the New Jersey Council on Juvenile Justice System Improvement, whose members are jointly appointed by the JJC Executive Director and the Administrative Director of the New Jersey Courts, oversees JDAI and considers statewide policy and practice reforms. At the local level, County Councils on Juvenile Justice System Improvement are directly responsible for implementing local reform strategies.  
     
  The results achieved through these JDAI partnerships have brought New Jersey national recognition. While nationally JDAI is operational in more than 125 local jurisdictions spanning 30 states, New Jersey is the only state to be designated a national model for detention reform by the Casey Foundation. This designation was bestowed upon NJ in late 2008 as a result of the impressive outcomes New Jersey has achieved since JDAI inception. New Jersey receives funding from the Casey Foundation to support JDAI, and to specifically conduct two-day working sessions with delegations from other states interested in replicating New Jersey’s JDAI success. To date, delegations from seven states, including Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, and New Mexico, have participated in New Jersey’s JDAI “Model Site” Program.  
 
  The JDAI Annual Data Reports listed here highlight the impact of JDAI collectively in the active sites.
 
     
  back to index I top  
Office of the Attorney General Homepage JJC Executive Director's Biography
JJC Executive Director's Biography
JJC Home About JJC
Contact JJC JJC Grants
JJC News JJC Policies
JJC Employment JJC Calendar
Proposed Rules JJC Programs
JJC Offices and  Units JJC Services from A to Z
JJC Library / Reports / Forms
JJC Boards / Committees / Councils
Highlights
JDAI - Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative
General Career Opportunities
Correction Officer Opportunities
Gang Awareness Initiative
Moving Through the JJC System
NJ Sex Offender Registry
NJ Amber Alert Plan
 
   
Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement
NJ Home Logo
Commission: JJC Home | Contact JJC | About JJC | JJC News | JJC Grants | JJC Employment
Departmental: OAG Home | Contact OAG | About OAG | OAG News | OAG FAQs
Statewide: NJ Home | Services A to Z | Departments/Agencies | FAQs
Copyright © State of New Jersey
This page is maintained by OAG Communications. Comments/Questions: email or call 609-292-4925