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Bill > S2344
NJ S2344
NJ S2344Makes FY2024 supplemental appropriation of $750,000 providing for additional attorneys dedicated to juvenile matters.
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This bill supplements the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations act to provide $750,000 in supplemental funding to the Office of the Public Defender's (OPD) Trial Services to Indigents program. The OPD is in-but-not-of the Department of Treasury. More specifically, the funding will provide for eight additional attorneys dedicated to juvenile post-dispositional work and juvenile caseload reduction in some of the highest volume regions, namely, Essex and Atlantic counties. According to the OPD, youth custodial sentences are on the rise. In 2022, New Jersey had 277 youth in custody. As of April 4, 2024, there were 339. The OPD notes that the length of stay is also on the rise. For example, in Atlantic County, the length of a custodial sentence for a juvenile has increased by 359 percent between 2022 and 2024. The OPD estimates a 25-30 percent increase in youth defense caseloads in the next fiscal year. P.L.2021, c.383 expanded the mandate of the OPD to require representation of juvenile defendants, many of whom are on the cusp of reentering society as adults. This has resulted in an increase in juvenile cases for the OPD.
AI Summary
This bill provides an additional $750,000 in funding for the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations to the Office of the Public Defender's (OPD) Trial Services to Indigents program, which is a state agency that provides legal representation to those who cannot afford it. This supplemental appropriation is intended to hire eight new attorneys specifically to handle juvenile cases, particularly those involving post-dispositional matters and to reduce the caseloads in high-volume areas like Essex and Atlantic counties. This measure is a response to a documented increase in the number and length of custodial sentences for young people, a trend exacerbated by a 2021 law that expanded the OPD's responsibility to represent juvenile defendants, many of whom are nearing adulthood.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S2344 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S2500/2344_I1.HTM |
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