A recent study found that black and Latino minors are more likely than whites to be charged as adults for crimes in New Jersey.
According to statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of the Courts in New Jersey, the vast majority of juveniles tried as adults in NJ were black or Hispanic. Between July 2011 and May 2016, NJ prosecutors filed 1,251 requests to charge juvenile defendants as adults in county superior courts. More than half of those requests were granted, with judges ultimately allowing prosecutors to seek adult prison time for 692 juvenile defendants accused of crimes like aggravated assault, armed robbery, and drug distribution.
The high rate of juveniles being tried as adults in New Jersey is not unusual or surprising. What is alarming, however, is the fact that more than 87 percent of minors tried as adults in NJ were black or Hispanic. By contrast, only slightly more than 10 percent of minors tried as adults over a five-year period were Caucasian.
These kinds of racial inequalities highlight a serious problem with the NJ juvenile justice system. Laura Cohen, who heads the Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at Rutgers Law School, noted that the disparity between the number of minorities tried as adults and the number of whites tried as adults is due to a skewed perception among NJ prosecutors. Cohen said that white kids commit crimes just as often as black and Hispanic kids, yet prosecutors consistently look to charge minorities as adults far more often than they consider charging whites as adults.
Bergen County Juveniles Convicted of Adult Crimes
Of course, merely being charged with a criminal offense is not the same as being convicted of a criminal offense. Even if a juvenile is charged as an adult and stands trial in superior court, there is no guarantee that they will ultimately be convicted and sentenced to prison. In fact, a juvenile defendant with a skilled criminal defense attorney on their side may have a good chance of beating the charges and winning in court. Depending on the circumstances of the case, it may even be possible for an experienced attorney to get the charges dismissed prior to trial.
However, not all juveniles tried as adults in New Jersey have the kind of legal help they need to successfully fight their criminal charges and stay out of jail. According to court records, there are currently more than 150 juvenile inmates in adult prisons throughout New Jersey who were convicted of crimes within the past five years. Moreover, many of these individuals were convicted of crimes like robbery, theft, and other offenses that did not necessarily result in injuries to the victims.
The Juvenile Justice Process in New Jersey
If your son or daughter is arrested and charged with a crime in NJ, they could potentially be tried as an adult. The battle to keep your child out of an adult jail will begin long before the trial, so it is important for you to speak with a knowledgeable criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.
If your child is ultimately convicted and sentenced as an adult, they may be placed in a juvenile detention facility until they turn 18 years of age. At that point, they will likely be transferred to an adult prison where they will do hard time surrounded by extremely dangerous individuals.
The good news is that the NJ juvenile justice process does afford minors with an opportunity to avoid prison time by entering into an alternative sentencing or diversionary program. That s because the emphasis in the juvenile justice system is on rehabilitation, not punishment.
Contact an Experienced Newark NJ Juvenile Defense Lawyer Today
Alissa D. Hascup is an experienced NJ juvenile defense attorney who is passionate about protecting the rights and the futures of her young clients. She works on behalf of young people in every county in New Jersey and helps her clients achieve the best possible outcomes to their cases. If your child is facing juvenile charges in NJ, contact Alissa Hascup today to schedule a free consultation.
For further information about the recent report on racial inequality in the NJ juvenile justice system, read the Guardian article, “Nearly 90% of New Jersey Children Tried as Adults Since 2011 Were Black or Latino.”
