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Atlantic County approves Infoshare module to speed juvenile case processing, prosecutor calls system a "crisis"
Summary
County commissioners approved purchase of an Infoshare records module after the county prosecutor described rising juvenile charges and extended detention times; prosecutor said the module could shorten detention by roughly a month and noted pending litigation with a decision due Dec. 20.
Atlantic County commissioners voted to purchase an Infoshare records-management module for the prosecutor’s office after hearing a detailed presentation on the county’s juvenile justice caseload.
The alternate-method agreement for the prosecutor’s Infoshare module was moved and seconded and approved by roll call. The transcript lists the module amount as not to exceed $172,100.
Atlantic County Prosecutor told the board that the county is "in a crisis with respect to juvenile justice," saying juvenile criminal filings had doubled year over year and that average detention stays increased from about 27 days in 2021 to roughly 183 days in 2024. He said the software would speed the processing and transfer of discovery among police, prosecutors, courts and defense counsel and estimated that faster processing could reduce detention time by up to about 30 days for some cases.
The prosecutor also said the office has filed litigation related to juvenile justice capacity and that a court decision is due Dec. 20. He thanked the county administrator and county council for their assistance and identified County Administrator Jerry Del Roscoe for his involvement in coordinating resources.
Commissioners asked questions and expressed support for a future public presentation from the county’s juvenile justice coordinator to explain how settlement and budgeted funds are being used. Following the presentation, the Infoshare purchase was approved on a roll call vote.
Next steps: the county will complete the procurement for the Infoshare module and the prosecutor’s office and county staff plan additional briefings to the board and the public about juvenile justice efforts and the litigation timeline.
