Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024
(a) Each county youth services commission shall consist of no fewer than 23 voting members. The county youth services commission shall consist of the following voting members:
1. The Presiding Judge of the Family Part of the Superior Court of the vicinage within which the county is located, or a Superior Court Family Part Judge who hears delinquency matters in the county, as his or her designee;
2. The vicinage Family Division Manager or the Assistant Family Division Manager or senior staff person, as designee;
3. The vicinage chief probation officer or the vicinage assistant chief probation officer in charge of juvenile matters, as designee;
4. The highest elected official of county government or other elected official, or senior staff person, as designee;
5. The county prosecutor or the highest-ranking assistant prosecutor handling juvenile matters, as designee;
6. The regional public defender or the highest ranking assistant public defender handling juvenile matters, as designee;
7. One official from the State agency responsible for issues of child abuse and neglect;
8. The county mental health administrator;
9. The county superintendent of schools;
10. The superintendent of the county vocational school;
11. The director of the county human services department or such other department of county government directly responsible for providing services to youth;
12. The director of the youth shelter located in the county;
13. The administrator(s) of the detention center serving the county or for the counties that do not operate a detention center, their detention liaison;
14. The director of the juvenile family crisis intervention unit established pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-76;
15. The president of the juvenile officers association of the county or other law enforcement representative who works primarily with youth;
16. The county alcoholism and drug abuse director;
17. A representative of the regional workforce investment board (WIB), established under Executive Order No. 36 (July 12, 1995);
18. A representative of the business community that serves at-risk and justice-involved youth in the county;
19. A parent of an at-risk or justice-involved youth or a representative from an organization working on behalf of parents of an at-risk or justice-involved youth;
20. A youth with exposure to or experience in the juvenile justice system who has not yet reached the age of 26 years;
21. A representative from a nonprofit community organization located in or working on behalf of one of the most densely populated areas within the county;
22. At least two, but not more than eight individuals in total, from the following groups. These individuals should have demonstrated knowledge relevant to the county's population involved in, or at risk of involvement in, the juvenile justice system:
i. The education sector;
ii. Mental health, family counseling, child advocacy, domestic violence, and/or victims rights groups;
iii. Clergy;
iv. Family Law practitioners, as identified by the county bar association;
v. The Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement of the Administrative Office of the Courts;
vi. Civic organizations;
vii. Municipal youth services commissions;
viii. Other interested persons who deal with children ; and
23. At its discretion and based on its needed representation, up to six additional individual members who have knowledge, experience, or interest in local youth, the local community, or the juvenile justice system.
(b) A Juvenile Justice Commission Court Liaison shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of a county youth services commission. In addition, one representative of each of the following State agencies may sit on a youth services commission as non-voting ex-officio members:
1. The Department of Human Services;
2. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development;
3. The Department of Education;
4. The Department of Health;
5. The Department of Community Affairs; and
6. The Department of Children and Families.
(c) Each voting member identified at (a)2 through 23 above may be represented by a designee who is qualified by knowledge and/or experience to perform the duties of a member of a youth services commission. The names of designees shall be submitted to the youth services commission chairperson annually.
(d) Appointments pursuant to (a)17 through 23 above shall be made in such a way as to fulfill the objective that membership of a county youth services commission reflects the racial, ethnic, and cultural demographic make-up of the youth in the county served by the sanctions, services, and delinquency prevention programs planned, implemented, monitored, and evaluated by the commission.
(e) Members should be appointed based on the county's appointment procedures, as articulated in the bylaws provided pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:90-2.6.
(f) If a single voting member fulfills two roles identified at (a)1 through 23 above, then that voting member shall only have one vote.
(g) A youth services commission may include additional non-voting members.
(h) For the purpose of approving Commission funding, vote shall be taken by roll call vote.
