How Do New Jersey Specialty Courts Work?

New Jersey specialty courts operate in a nonconventional manner. In the state of New Jersey, they are considered drug courts. The New Jersey drug court is a specialized court set up to help non-violent offenders, who have moderate to severe substance use disorder, go through the justice system without going to jail. By law, the drug court has limited jurisdiction and can only handle cases of offenders who meet specific eligibility criteria under NJ Stat § 2C:35–14.2.

Generally, the defendant must not have a criminal history and must pass a professional diagnostic assessment by a court-assigned substance abuse evaluator. A substance abuse evaluator will determine the offender’s clinical eligibility while the prosecutor will determine legal eligibility based on the offender’s criminal history. If deemed eligible, offenders must commit to an intensive and highly specialized form of a recovery program. The offender must also regularly appear in court, report to their probation officer, and pass routine drug tests as requirements for resolving outstanding criminal charges.

There is a drug court in each of the 16 judicial vicinages in New Jersey. These courts are part of the criminal division of the Superior Court. A team of judges, court staff, attorneys, probation officers, and substance abuse evaluators works together to run the New Jersey drug court program. These officials also support and monitor a participant’s recovery through supervision, incentives, and sanctions.

The drug court programs in New Jersey were created based on the following tenets:

• Collaboration between the judiciary, law enforcement, social services, and community-based organizations to find a constructive discipline for offenders;
• Using a standardized assessment to identify non-violent offenders who are eligible for the program;
• Training program staff in substance abuse and recovery issues related to providing aid in a non-adversarial atmosphere;
• Using incentives to encourage recovery goals and using sanctions to deter participants from non-compliant behaviors;
• Continuous training and education for drug court staff; and,
• Ongoing evaluation of the program and deploying reforms when necessary

The drug court program is rigorous. Participants must fulfill their enrollment terms, including frequent drug testing, court appearances, and commitment to treatment for chemical dependence. This design supports the recovery process and allows supervisors to meet dissidence with sanctions or reinstate criminal proceedings. Thus, the drug court program enjoyed such tremendous success since, upon inception that the New Jersey Judiciary made the program mandatory in 2017.

According to a report by the New Jersey Judiciary, only 6.8 percent of drug court graduates were convicted for new indictable crimes within three years of graduation, compared to 40% of non-graduates. The drug court program happens in four phases spread over two years. Participants must meet all the goals before graduating, making the party eligible for the expungement of records.

The following is a list of the location and contact information of Superior Courts in New Jersey:

Atlantic/Cape May Vicinage Superior Courts
Atlantic County Civil Courts Building
1201 Bacharach Boulevard
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Phone: (609) 402–0100

Cape May County Courthouse
9 North Main Street
Cape May, NJ 08210
Phone: (609) 402–0100

Bergen Vicinage Superior Court
Bergen County Justice Center
10 Main Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone: (201) 221–0700

Burlington Vicinage Superior Court
49 Rancocas Road
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060
Phone: (609) 288–9500

Camden Vicinage Superior Court
Camden County Hall of Justice
101 South 5th Street
Camden, NJ 08103
Phone: (856) 379–2200

Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem Superior Courts
Cumberland County Courthouse
60 West Broad Street
Bridgeton, NJ 08302
Phone: (856) 451–8000

Gloucester County Superior Court
Gloucester County Justice Complex
70 Hunter Street
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Phone: (856) 853–3200

Gloucester County Superior Court
Gloucester County Courthouse
1 North Broad Street
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Phone: (856) 853–3200

Salem County Courthouse
92 Market Street
Salem, NJ 08079
Phone: (856) 878–5050

Essex Vicinage Superior Courts
Veterans Courthouse
50 West Market Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 776–9300

Historic Courthouse (Civil Division)
470 Drive, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 776–9300

Hall of Records (Special Civil Part, Small Claims, Landlord-Tenant)
465 Drive, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 776–9300

Robert N. Wilentz Court Complex (Family, Chancery/General Equity)
212 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 776–9300

Hudson Vicinage Superior Courts
Hudson County Administration Building
595 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Phone: (201) 748–4400 ext. 66600

William J. Brennan Courthouse
583 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Phone: (201) 748–4400 ext. 66600

Mercer Vicinage Superior Courts
Mercer County Civil Courthouse
175 South Broad Street
Trenton, NJ 08650
Phone: (609) 571–4200

Mercer County Criminal Courthouse
400 South Warren Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: (609) 571–4200

Middlesex County Superior Court
Middlesex County Courthouse
56 Paterson Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 645–4300

Middlesex County Family Courthouse
120 New Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 645–4300

Criminal Case Management Office
14 Kirkpatrick Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 645–4300

Monmouth Vicinage Superior Court
Monmouth County Courthouse
71 Monument Park
Freehold, NJ 07728
Phone: (732) 677–4300

Hall of Records (General Equity)
1 East Main Street
Freehold, NJ 07728
Phone: (732) 431–7135

Morris/Sussex Vicinage Superior Courts
Morris County Courthouse
56 Washington Street
Morristown, NJ 07960
Phone: (973) 656–4000

Sussex County Judicial Center
43–47 High Street
Newton, NJ 07860
Phone: (973) 579–0675

Ocean Vicinage Superior Court
Ocean County Courthouse
118 Washington Street
Toms River, NJ 08753
Phone: (732) 929–2042

Passaic Vicinage Superior Court
Passaic County Courthouse
77 Hamilton Street
Paterson, NJ 07505
Phone: (973) 247–8000

Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren Vicinage Superior Courts
Somerset County Courthouse
20 North Bridge Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
Phone: (908) 332–7700

Warren County Courthouse
413 2nd Street, P.O. Box 900
Belvidere, NJ 07823
Phone: (908) 750–8100

Union Vicinage Superior Court
Union County Courthouse
2 Broad Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07207
Phone: (908) 787–1650

Hunterdon County Courthouse
65 Park Avenue
Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: (908) 824–9750