With funding support from the NoVo Foundation, the NCJFCJ provided training and technical assistance to the New Jersey multi-site court collaboration, including Atlantic, Camden, Ocean, and Passaic Counties to identify and promote promising practices in juvenile and family courts to address child sex trafficking.

New Jersey judicial system professionals participated in the NCJFCJ’s Child Abuse and Neglect Institute (CANI). The CANI brought together expert judicial faculty and other subject matter experts to engage participants through exemplary instruction, case scenarios, and other active learning strategies. Some of the core topics of CANI include: the leadership role of the judge in child abuse and neglect cases; a review of federal laws and policies that drive the child abuse and neglect process; the Indian Child Welfare Act; reasonable efforts in judicial decision making; judicial ethics; and emerging issues in child welfare.

The Newark Child Abuse and Neglect Mentor Model Court is recognized for its efforts to improve outcomes for abused and neglected children, juvenile offenders, and their families.

At the New Jersey Family Division Education Conference in Gassoway, approximately 75 attendees participated in a training session presented by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, titled “Youth and the Juvenile Justice System: Key Trends to Know.”

The state of New Jersey contributes juvenile court data to the National Juvenile Court Data Archive, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This national project of the NCJFCJ provides detailed and accurate information on the activities of the nation’s juvenile courts to juvenile justice professionals, policy makers, researchers, and the public.

The landscape of juvenile justice in New Jersey is detailed through the Juvenile Justice Geography, Policy, Practice and Statistics website (JJGPS.org), a project of the NCJFCJ’s research division, the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ). JJGPS is an online resource that tracks juvenile justice reform in each state, allowing for comparisons within and across states.

Judges and justice system professionals from New Jersey received specialized child welfare, domestic violence, and juvenile justice training on current and cutting-edge topics and research during the NCJFCJ’s Annual Conference and National Conference on Juvenile Justice.

Judge Rodney Thompson of Trenton is a NCJFCJ Board Director. Judge Carmen A. Ferrante (Ret.) of Totowa and Judge David B. Katz of Newark are Past Presidents of the NCJFCJ.