Edison Police Receives Grant For Work With Juvenile Offenders

EDISON, NJ – The Edison Police Department has received a $30,900 grant to work with first-time juvenile offenders.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) announced last week that six grants totaling $200,000 was to be given to local police and community-based organizations to encourage the use of stationhouse adjustment for at-risk youth.

Stationhouse adjustment is an alternative method used by New Jersey police departments to handle first-time juvenile offenders with minor offenses.

This funding was granted to police departments with high rates of juvenile arrests, especially among youth of color.

According to data from the US Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, youth of color are at a higher risk of being incarcerated than whites. The detention rate for Black juvenile youth offenders exceeded the detention rate of other ethnic minorities.

The JJC told Patch it sees this program as a strategy for reducing racial disparity in the formal juvenile justice system.

“Years of research proves that the long-term success of young people increases dramatically if we can prevent them from formally entering the juvenile justice system. Behavioral change is more likely if young people are provided with immediate constructive consequences for their decisions, coupled with community-based supports,” Jennifer LeBaron, Ph.D., Acting Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Commission, said in a statement.

The Edison Mentoring Children program, also known as E=MC, offers a six-week program for about 10 to 15 town youth in each session. The Edison police department collaborates with local schools and organizations to reach out to youth and foster better relationships.

Several activities take place at the police department, Edison High School and Family Support of Middlesex County. These activities are aimed at providing at-risk youth with mentorship and support.

Stationhouse adjustments allow minor delinquency matters to be resolved locally and outside of court. It gives social workers and officers an opportunity to address the causes of behavior and offer support to youth. Parents, guardians, or caregivers however must agree to the stationhouse adjustment process.

“New Jersey has become a national model for reducing reliance on incarceration and other out of home placements among youth with minimal involvement in the juvenile justice system, but there is more to do,” said Grewal.

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