Criminal Justice Reform Information Center

Welcome to the Criminal Justice Reform Information Center. Here you will find information related to the efforts of the Judiciary and its criminal justice reform partners in state, county and municipal government to implement bail and speedy trial reform and to form a pretrial services unit.

On Jan. 1, 2017, the state shifted from a system that relies principally on setting monetary bail as a condition of release to a risk-based system that is more objective, and thus fairer to defendants because it is unrelated to their ability to pay monetary bail. The statute also sets deadlines for the timely filing of an indictment and the disposition of criminal charges for incarcerated defendants.

Highlights

Publications

Reports

What's in the News

Date Title Publication
November 2021 Bail Reform Is Working Law Journal Editorial Board
October 2021 Bail reform pays dividends as number of low-risk defendants jailed pre-trial drops again New Jersey Monitor
February 2020 Commentary: Illinois bail reformers: New Jersey's model works, plain and simple Chicago Tribune
November 2019 New Jersey bail and discovery reforms sharply cut jail population without increase in violent crime New York Daily News
April 2020 A Tale of Two States New Jersey Law Journal
December 2019 What we can learn from N.J. on bail: The Garden State shows the way on criminal justice reform New York Daily News
December 2019 NJ now a leader in showing that bail reform works as expected Press of Atlantic City
April 2019 NJ bail reform delivers, still needs monitoring and adjustment Press of Atlantic City
April 2019 Editorial: Bail reform law continues to show its effectiveness northjersey.com
April 2019 Did NJ bail reform cause a surge in crime? Court analysis says no northjersey.com
April 2019 N.J. officials finally release data on bail reform. Their conclusion? It’s working WHYY
April 2019 N.J.’s bail reform did not cause a spike in crime, report says. But the program is going broke nj.com
April 2019 New study of N.J. bail overhaul shows fewer people in jail philly.com
April 2019 Amid Lingering Concerns, State Report on Bail Reform Notes Successes NJ Spotlight
August 2018 Episode 783: New Jersey Bails Out NPR
August 2018 NJ bail reform succeeds, gets court OK, but challenges remain Press of Atlantic City
May 2018 NJ criminal justice system becoming more just: Rabner Asbury Park Press
November 2017 Report Grades Bail Systems Across The U.S., And Only One State Gets An A Huffington Post
November 2017 New Jersey receives only A in Pretrial Justice report routefifty.com
November 2017 N.J. bail reform gets top grade from advocates philly.com
September 2017 Fixing the unfair bail system is worth the costs Washington Post
August 2017 Cash Bail’s Lonely Defender New York Times
August 2017 On bail reform, Christie schools 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' nj.com
July 2017 6 months in, N.J. bail reform is working nj.com
July 2017 New Jersey eliminates most cash bail, leads nation in reforms PBS News
July 2017 Jail population down 19 percent in N.J. since new bail reform law Press of Atlantic City
July 2017 NJ Jail Population Down Almost One-Fifth After Bail Overhaul Observer
July 2017 NPR: New Jersey Bails Out NPR
June 2017 New Jersey’s leadership on bail reform a shining, bipartisan success Press of Atlantic City
February 2017 Bail reform off to ‘successful' start in county New Jersey Herald
February 2017 Early report on criminal justice reforms: Concerns raised; tweaks made Burlington County Times
February 2017 New Jersey Alters Its Bail System and Upends Legal Landscape New York Times
December 2016 Editorial from The Record: Right to ‘speedy trial’ is in Constitution NorthJersey.com
October 2016 What new NJ bail rules will mean for poor defendants, dangerous suspects NJ 101.5
May 2016 Editorial from the Press of Atlantic City: Coming bail reform looks good, except for bondsmen Press of Atlantic City
Summer 2016 Pretrial Service Officers Crucial to Justice Reform - Summer 2016 Judiciary Times
Summer 2016 Chief Justice Addresses Criminal Justice Reform, Attorney-Related Issues at Bar Convention Judiciary Times
Summer 2016 Criminal Justice Reform-The Clock is Ticking Judiciary Times
Spring 2016 Vicinages Launch Criminal Justice Reform Pilots Judiciary Times
Spring 2016 Municipal Court Judges and Staff Are Integral to Success of Criminal Justice Reform in New Jersey Judiciary Times
2015-2016 Winter Why Criminal Justice Reform Is Important for New Jersey Judiciary Times
2015-2016 Winter Move Toward Criminal Justice Reform Accelerates in New Year - Judiciary Times
Fall 2015 Work Proceeding on Criminal Justice Reform in New Jersey Judiciary Times
Fall 2015 A New Court Year, A Continued Emphasis on Justice Reform Judiciary Times
Summer 2015 Chief Justice Touts Bail Reform in Bar Speech Judiciary Times
March 2014 Report Suggests Giving Judges Power to Set ‘No Bail’ for Dangerous Defendants NJTV