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