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Atlantic County officials recount riots and urge removal of adults from juvenile detention centers
Summary
Atlantic County law enforcement and prosecutors described violent incidents at a county juvenile facility, linked several disturbances to adults held in juvenile centers, and urged legislative steps such as mandatory interest-of-justice hearings and clearer transfer rules to adult facilities.
Atlantic County officials told the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee that safety incidents at local juvenile facilities exposed a separate, urgent problem: adults being detained alongside youth.
Atlantic County Sheriff Joseph O'Donoghue described a series of violent incidents at the Harborfields facility, including an August 25, 2024 riot in which officers were injured and one youth lost the top portion of a finger; he said the county waited hours for a commission response and that law enforcement provided mutual aid and, on one occasion, deployed SWAT to regain control. "They were…
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