§ 2A:4A-37 — Place of detention or shelter.

18. Place of detention or shelter. a. The Youth Justice Commission established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1995, c.284 (C.52:17B-170) shall specify the place where a juvenile may be detained; and the Department of Children and Families shall specify where a juvenile may be placed in shelter. b. No juvenile shall be placed in detention or shelter care in any place other than that specified by the Youth Justice Commission or Department of Children and Families as provided in subsection a. c. A juvenile being held for a charge under this act or for a violation of or contempt in connection with a violation of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, chapter 7 of Title 12 of the Revised Statutes or N.J.S.2C:33-13, including a juvenile who has reached the age of 18 years after being charged, shall not be placed in any prison, jail or lockup nor detained in any police station, except that if no other facility is reasonably available a juvenile may be held in a police station in a place other than one designed for the detention of prisoners and apart from any adult charged with or convicted of a crime for a brief period if such holding is necessary to allow release to his parent, guardian, other suitable person, or approved facility. No juvenile shall be placed in a detention facility which has reached its maximum population capacity, as designated by the Youth Justice Commission. d. No juvenile charged with delinquency shall be transferred to an adult county jail solely by reason of having reached age 18. The following standards shall apply to any juvenile who has been placed on probation pursuant to section 24 of P.L.1982, c.77 (C.2A:4A-43) and who violates the conditions of that probation after reaching the age of 18; who has been placed on parole pursuant to the provisions of the "Parole Act of 1979," P.L.1979, c.441 (C.30:4-123.45 et seq.) and who violates the conditions of that parole after reaching the age of 18; or who is arrested after reaching the age of 18 on a warrant emanating from the commission of an act of juvenile delinquency: (1) In the case of a person 18 years of age but less than 20 years of age, the court, upon application by any interested party, shall determine the place of detention, taking into consideration the age and maturity of the person, whether the placement of the person in a juvenile detention facility would present a risk to the safety of juveniles residing at the facility, the likelihood that the person would influence in a negative manner juveniles incarcerated at the facility, whether the facility has sufficient space available for juveniles and any other factor the court deems appropriate. Upon application at any time by the juvenile detention facility administrator or any other interested party, the court may order that the person be relocated to the county jail. The denial of an application shall not preclude subsequent applications based on a change in circumstances or information that was not previously made available to the court. The determination of the place of detention shall be made in a summary manner; (2) In the case of a person 20 years of age or older, the person shall be incarcerated in the county jail unless good cause is shown. e. (1) The Youth Justice Commission and the Department of Children and Families shall promulgate such rules and regulations from time to time as deemed necessary to establish minimum physical facility and program standards for juvenile detention facilities or shelters under their respective supervision. (2) The Youth Justice Commission and the Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the appropriate county administrator of the county facility or shelter, shall assign a maximum population capacity for each juvenile detention facility or shelter based on minimum standards for these facilities. f. (1) Where either the Youth Justice Commission or the Department of Children and Families determines that a juvenile detention facility or shelter under its control or authority is regularly over the maximum population capacity or is in willful and continuous disregard of the minimum standards for these facilities or shelters, the commission or department may restrict new admissions to the facility or shelter. (2) Upon making such determination, the commission or department shall notify the governing body of the appropriate county of its decision to impose such a restriction, which notification shall include a written statement specifying the reasons therefor and corrections to be made. If the commission or department shall determine that no appropriate action has been initiated by the administrator of the facility or shelter within 60 days following such notification to correct the violations specified in the notification, it shall order that such juvenile detention facility or shelter shall immediately cease to admit juveniles. The county shall be entitled to a hearing where such a restriction is imposed by the commission or department. (3) Any juvenile detention facility or shelter so restricted shall continue under such order until such time as the commission or department determines that the violation specified in the notice has been corrected or that the facility or shelter has initiated actions which will ensure the correction of said violations. (4) Upon the issuance of an order to cease admissions to a juvenile detention facility or shelter, the commission or department shall determine whether other juvenile detention facilities or shelters have adequate room for admitting juveniles and shall assign the juveniles to the facilities or shelters on the basis of available space; provided that the department shall not assign the juvenile to a facility or shelter where such facility or shelter is at the maximum population. A juvenile detention facility or shelter ordered to accept a juvenile shall do so within five days following the receipt of an order to accept admission of such juvenile. (5) A juvenile detention facility or shelter restricted by an order to cease admissions shall assume responsibility for the transportation of a juvenile sent to another juvenile detention facility or shelter so long as the order shall remain in effect. (6) A facility or shelter receiving juveniles pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection shall receive from the sending county a reasonable and appropriate per diem allowance for each juvenile sent to the facility, such allowance to be used for the custody, care, maintenance, and any other services normally provided by the county to juveniles in the facility or shelter and which reflects all county expenditures in maintaining such juvenile, including a proportionate share of all buildings and grounds costs, personnel costs, including fringe benefits, administrative costs and all other direct and indirect costs. (7) The governing body of a county whose juvenile detention facility or shelter has been prohibited from accepting new admissions, and whose juveniles have been assigned to other juvenile detention facilities or shelters, shall appropriate an amount to pay the county receiving such juveniles for all expenses incurred pursuant to paragraph (6) of this subsection. L.1982, c.77, s.18; amended 1989, c.125, s.2; 1995, c.280, s.7; 2003, c.287; 2006, c.47, s.16; 2025, c.35, s.4.