By Michael Benavides
and Mark Rosman
Staff Writers
JACKSON – The Jackson Township Council has become the latest municipal governing body to express concern about and opposition to New Jersey’s recently enacted Criminal Justice Reform Act.
Council members stated their concerns with the act in a resolution that was passed during the Feb. 28 meeting of the governing body.
The resolution states that the act “imposes upon municipal governments an undue financial hardship to implement as each municipality in some capacity must hire new personnel, invest in new equipment and information technology, and make capital and other necessary improvements to jail, court and ancillary court facilities.”
Officials went on to say the act “essentially has ended bail requirements for thousands of dangerous criminals. Under this terribly flawed law, judges now assign a ‘score’ to determine whether a defendant should be detained or freed. Serious offenders are being let go over prosecutor and law enforcement objection only to go and commit more crimes as soon as they hit the street.”
Jackson’s elected officials asserted that the act “is a massive financial burden to our police department, municipal courts, municipal public defenders and the county prosecutor’s office.
“Detention hearings are expedited and our officers are forced to spend hours on even simple offenses due to demands for our officers to file paperwork and complete cases, some demanding complex analysis, are simply unrealistic and the costs are only going to expand without any financial relief from the state.”
The council concluded by expressing its “strong opposition to the (act) as putting residents at risk and threatening the fiscal health of the town and county.”
Councilman Rob Nixon offered his thoughts on the Criminal Justice Reform Act, saying, “I think what we have ahead of us in dealing with what is commonly known as bail reform is not exactly what was explained to (residents) when the Constitution was amended recently to provide for criminal justice reform.
“The idea behind bail reform is sound. We do not want to see someone picked up for a low level offense who cannot pay their bail end up sitting in jail just because they cannot pay the cost to get out (on bail). On the other side, we do not want serious offenders using low level offenders as drug mules, etc., and then using drug money to get them out (on bail),” Nixon said.
“But the reality of bail reform has become a serious financial and public safety problem not only for Jackson, but the entire state,” he said. “The idea of a financial problem, the implication on overtime, staffing and technology, is an unknown figure. Nobody told us what this was going to cost and by the way, the state was offering us zero money in order to implement it.
“This is the problem the state (creates for) towns like Jackson over and over again. They fail to give us the dollars and the resources needed (to implement a law) … the time it has been taking our police officers to process individuals who have been arrested for even the simplest offenses is now hours.
“As a township, our first obligation is the public safety of our residents. We have to take a strong stand against this (act). … We do respect low level offenders who really for no fault of their own get caught up in the system and cannot get out,” Nixon said. “We understand that, but for what it is costing us and what it is going to cost you in tax dollars and in the interest in public safety, we simply have to put ourselves on the record as being opposed to this process and demand that the Legislature fix it before it gets any worse for us.”
In other business at the Feb. 28 meeting, the council renewed the licenses for five kennels that operate in Jackson. Those kennels are: Ramblin’ Acres; Janet and Leonard Haring, Sunriser Kennel; Northern Ocean County Animal Facility; Barbara Poyda, Heartbark Hotel; and Eileen Grahn, Ark Kennel.
