2A:4A-75 Juvenile conference committees.

6. a. The court may appoint one or more juvenile conference committees for each county or municipality to hear and decide matters referred to it by the court.

b. The method of appointment and terms of membership to the committees shall be made pursuant to guidelines developed by the Supreme Court.

c. Where the juvenile is diverted to a juvenile conference committee, notices of the conference shall be sent to the juvenile and his parents or guardian and to the complainant or victim. The parties may be requested to bring to the conference all pertinent documents in their possession, including medical, social, and school records.

d. The committee shall serve under the authority of the court in hearing and deciding such matters involving alleged juvenile offenders as are specifically referred to it by the court. Each juvenile shall be reviewed without a presumption of guilt. The committee shall be concerned primarily with providing balanced attention to the protection of the community, the imposition of accountability for offenses committed, fostering interaction and dialogue between the offender, victim and community and the development of competencies to enable the juvenile offender to become a responsible and productive member of the community. In addition, the committee shall be concerned with preventing more serious future misconduct by the juvenile offender by obtaining the cooperation of the juvenile and his parents or guardian in complying with its recommendations. The court may schedule a hearing where the complainant or victim objects to the recommendations from the conference.

e. The committee shall provide for the resolution of the matter and shall supervise and follow up compliance with its recommendations in the same manner and under the same limitations and with the same sanctions as the court intake service conference.

f. All proceedings before the juvenile conference committee are confidential and include only those records which in the court's judgment are necessary to aid in making a recommendation.

L.1982,c.81,s.6; amended 2001, c.408, s.6.