When a juvenile is apprehended for a crime he commits, the police officers who arrive at the scene have several options available to address the delinquent behavior:

If the juvenile is arrested for his/her criminal behavior, the juvenile complaint is initiated. The police officer will call the Essex County Juvenile Probation Intake Unit who will determine under which detention alternative program the juvenile will be subject because the juvenile has no right to bail:

Once the juvenile delinquency complaint has been filed, the complaint and other supporting documentation are sent to the Juvenile Services Unit where the complaint is recorded and screened. A master probation officer assigned to the Unit, in consultation with an assistant prosecutor and a judge, will determine the status of the complaint. If the juvenile is accused of committing a serious crime, such as homicide, aggravated assault, or possession of a weapon, the matter will be listed on the formal calendar (counsel mandatory).

For minor charges pending against the juvenile such as disorderly person offenses, simple assault, trespassing, criminal mischief, stolen property offenses, and shoplifting, the complaint will be listed for final disposition on the informal calendar (counsel not mandatory). The master probation officer will also schedule an initial detention hearing for any juvenile remanded to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center within 24-hours of juvenile' s incarceration.

If the case is listed on the informal calendar, the juvenile doesn't need to be represented by an attorney and the matter can be sent to one of several diversionary programs for disposition:

If the juvenile's complaint is placed on the formal calendar, the matter will be heard in family court before a judge, with the juvenile represented by an attorney at all court proceedings. The assistant prosecutor assigned to the case will present the evidence before the court and must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. If the assistant prosecutor meets the burden of proof, the juvenile is found delinquent and the judge will impose a disposition, such as fines, community service, a deferred disposition for up to one year, or a probationary term that can last up to three years. If the juvenile doesn' t comply with the probationary conditions, the original complaint will be re-instated and be heard by a judge. For those juveniles who have been found delinquent of very serious crime, the judge can impose the following sanctions:

As with adult offenders, juveniles released from the custody of the New Jersey Department of Corrections prior to their designated sentence expiration date can be placed on juvenile parole. Juvenile parole officers will ensure that the juvenile continues to comply with the terms set forth in the juvenile parole plan by the New Jersey State Parole Board. Juveniles adjudicated delinquent on sexual offenses are also subject to Megan's Law upon release from custody.

Under specific circumstances, a juvenile older than the age of 14 who has been charged with certain offenses, such as homicide, and has been found unlikely to be rehabilitated before the age of 19 may be subject to a waiver to Superior Court and tried as an adult. In such cases, the Family Court waives its jurisdiction over the case and transfers it to the criminal division for disposition.