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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 holding hostage employees," O'Donoghue said of the facility incident and told the committee that 95% of youth in his facility were charged with first- or second-degree crimes.
Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds said the most violent juvenile cases in his county are complex, often involving multiple defendants and many associated social-service stakeholders, which lengthens case processing and contributes to prolonged stays in secure facilities. Reynolds proposed procedural remedies, including clearer access to decision makers and an automatic judicial review when a detained young person turns 18 to determine whether they should be transferred to an adult facility. "You really just need decision makers," Reynolds said when asked about who should be able to authorize placements and transfers.
Multiple witnesses from counties that operate facilities backed immediate statutory fixes to prevent adults from remaining in juvenile custody when inappropriate and to create predictable transfer and oversight processes. Atlantic County officials said adults in juvenile facilities often act as ringleaders of violence and argued that shifting those adults to adult facilities would free space and reduce risks for younger detainees and staff. Prosecutors and county executives recommended that statutes require an automatic interest-of-justice hearing once someone in juvenile custody reaches 18, so the court can determine whether continued juvenile detention is appropriate.
Committee members asked for concrete legislative options and data to assess the scale of adult-in-juvenile placements. The hearing concluded with bipartisan interest in pursuing both immediate statutory clarifications and a longer-term task force to consider regionalization, staffing and funding options.
