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S3346
SENATE, No. 3346
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 5, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes �Task Force for Community Based Juvenile
Rehabilitation.��
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
establishing a �Task Force for Community Based Juvenile
Rehabilitation.�
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� There is established
a task force to be known as the �Task Force for Community Based Juvenile
Rehabilitation� whose charge shall be to provide recommendations for minimum
and maximum ages for prosecution in juvenile court, consistent with developmental
science and practices in other states.� The task force shall also examine and
make recommendations to address any ongoing racial disparities in the
prosecution and sentencing of juveniles.
���� b.��� The task force shall
consist of 17 members as follows:
���� (1)�� The Attorney General,
ex-officio, or a designee;
���� (2)�� A representative of the Youth
Justice Commission, appointed by the Governor;
���� (3)�� A representative of the
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, appointed by the Governor;
���� (4)�� A representative of the
Division of Criminal Justice, appointed by the Governor;
���� (5)�� The Public Defender,
ex-officio, or a designee;
���� (6)�� The Commissioner of the
Department of Children and Families, ex-officio, or a designee;
���� (7)�� The Commissioner of
Education, ex-officio, or a designee;
���� (8)�� A retired Family Court
Judge, to be chosen by the Administrative Director of the Administrative Office
of the Courts;
���� (9)�� The Chair of the
Governor�s Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Committee;
���� (10) One member appointed by
the President of the Senate;
���� (11) One member appointed by
the Speaker of the General Assembly;
���� (12) A representative from the
County Youth Services Commission Administrators, appointed by the Governor; and
���� (13) Two representatives who
have been involved with the New Jersey juvenile justice system, appointed by
the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate and the
Speaker of the General Assembly;
���� (14) A representative from the
New Jersey State Policemen�s Benevolent Association Local 105, the Correctional
Police Officer�s Union, appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of
the President of the New Jersey State Policemen�s Benevolent Association Local
105;
���� (15) A representative from the
Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at Rutgers, The State University, School of
Law, Newark, appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and
���� (16) A representative of the
American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, appointed by the President of the
Senate.
���� c.���� All appointments to the
task force shall be made within 30 days of the effective date of this act.�
Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. The
task force shall choose a chairperson from among its members.� The chairperson
shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.� The
members of the task force shall serve without compensation but may be
reimbursed, within the limits of funds made available to the task force, for
necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
���� d.��� The chairperson shall
call an initial meeting of the task force within 60 days of the effective date
of this act and hold hearings at the times and in the places it may deem
appropriate and necessary to fulfill its charge.� The task force shall be
entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the
employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau,
commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its
purposes.� The presence of a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
���� e.���� The task force may seek
the advice of experts as deemed appropriate by the membership of the task
force.
���� f.���� The task force shall
hold three public hearings: one hearing in each of the northern, central, and
southern regions of the State.
���� g.��� The task force shall
issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the
Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), within
one year of the effective date of this act.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall expire upon the submission of the report pursuant
to subsection g. of section 1 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������ ) (pending before
the Legislature as this bill).
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes the
�Task Force for Community Based Juvenile Rehabilitation.�� Under the bill, the
charge of the task force is to provide recommendations for minimum and maximum
ages for prosecution in juvenile court, consistent with developmental science
and practices in other states.� The task force is also required to examine and
provide recommendations to address any ongoing racial disparities in the
prosecution and sentencing of juveniles.
���� The task force is to consist
of the following 17 members: 1) the Attorney General, ex-officio, or a
designee; 2) a representative of the Youth Justice Commission, appointed by the
Governor; 3) a representative of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice,
appointed by the Governor; 4) a representative of the Division of Criminal
Justice, appointed by the Governor; 5) the Public Defender, ex-officio, or a
designee; 6) the Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families,
ex-officio, or a designee; 7) the Commissioner of Education, ex-officio, or a
designee; 8) a retired Family Court Judge, to be chosen by the Administrative
Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts; 9) the Chair of the
Governor�s Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Committee; 10) one
member appointed by the President of the Senate; 11) one member appointed by
the Speaker of the General Assembly; 12) a representative from the County Youth
Services Commission Administrators, appointed by the Governor; 13) two
representatives who have been involved with the New Jersey juvenile justice
system, appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of
the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly; 14) a representative from
the New Jersey State Policemen�s Benevolent Association Local 105, the
Correctional Police Officer�s Union, appointed by the Governor upon the
recommendation of the President of the New Jersey State Policemen�s Benevolent
Association Local 105; 15) a representative from the Criminal and Youth Justice
Clinic at Rutgers, The State University, School of Law, Newark, appointed by
the Speaker of the General Assembly; 16) a representative of the American Civil
Liberties Union of New Jersey, appointed by the President of the Senate.
���� Under the bill, the task force
is to hold three public hearings, one hearing in each of the northern, central,
and southern regions of the State.� Finally, the bill requires the task force
to issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the
Legislature within one year of the bill�s effective date.
���� According to the Sentencing
Project, in every state, black youth are more likely to be incarcerated than
their white peers.� New Jersey has the highest black-white disparity in youth
incarceration with black youth being more than 20 times more likely than their
white peers to be incarcerated.� In addition, according to the Youth Justice
Task Force Report, despite dramatic overall reductions in the number of youth
detained, efforts to eliminate disproportionate minority representation in
detention have not been as successful, and troubling inequities continue to
characterize this State.�
���� Further, as noted in the Youth
Justice Task Force Report, as known from brain science, adolescence continues
into the mid-20s.� Therefore, this is a time of significant growth and
maturation and presents a critical opportunity for redirection.