The Central Municipal Court of Atlantic County, the first regional court in New Jersey, is doing more than consolidating services for municipal savings and taxpayer relief; it is also providing essential social services and reducing recidivism among court defendants.
The Central Municipal Court opened in January 2022 and currently includes 10 of the county’s 23 municipalities. They are: Corbin City, Egg Harbor Township, Estell Manor, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, Linwood, Northfield, Port Republic, Ventnor and Weymouth Township.
“These towns are realizing significant savings, in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” stated County Executive Dennis Levinson.
In addition to providing cost savings, the Central Municipal Court partners with Jewish Family Service to connect individuals appearing before the court to an average of six resources including counseling, mental health, vocational, housing, food pantries, and legal assistance.
“As a result of this partnership with JFS, 91% of defendants in the Central Municipal Court have avoided new charges, and that is significant,” said Levinson, who first proposed the consolidated court as a shared services initiative.
Levinson gives much credit to Mark Sandson, retired judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey and a former Recovery Court judge, for the concept of including the social services component in the Central Municipal Court.
“This innovative effort to provide social service interventions is having a positive impact on the lives of our residents in addition to the court’s cost savings for our towns and their taxpayers,” said Levinson. ”We’re now able to address the problems of addiction and homelessness in the initial stages of the criminal justice system.”
“There is no other court in New Jersey that is doing this,” noted Judge Sandson.
“We’re showing others how it can be done,” said Levinson. “Hopefully our success will breed success in other courts throughout the state and the country.”
Levinson also encourages the towns that are not presently participating in the Central Municipal Court to reconsider their decision and forego their archaic home rule mentality.
“It’s 2024 and time to relinquish home rule for the betterment of our citizens,” he urged municipal officials. “Not only will participation in the court save costs and keep more money in your taxpayers’ pockets, it will allow you to directly help those citizens in dire need of intervention and assistance by connecting them with resources that can provide a much-needed hand up.”
