CCPYDC is the first county-wide juvenile delinquency prevention planning and implementation effort in the state, and is funded by the NJ Office of the Attorney General and the Cumberland County Freeholders. With WRI facilitation and technical assistance, CCPYDC brings together 150 stakeholders from 85 organizations representing diverse sectors including education, law enforcement, social services, faith-based institutions, and youth-serving organizations in order to reduce juvenile delinquency and prevent those already involved in the juvenile system from becoming involved in the adult criminal justice system.
The Coalition began in the city of Vineland in 2009, and expanded to the nearby municipalities of Bridgeton and Millville in 2013. Members serve on one of four Breakout Groups (County, Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland). During Breakout Group meetings, members discuss current data on delinquency and crime, as well as other key indicators that can lead to juvenile justice issues, identify needs, and work together to strategize and implement initiatives to address those needs. The initiative has yielded positive results for youth in Cumberland County:
• Decreased juvenile arrests in the county by 44.5% from 2012 to 2016.
• Increased the use of Stationhouse Adjustment (SHA), a first-time juvenile diversion effort to hold youth accountable, while preventing a formal complaint filed with the court, and thus keeping youth out of the juvenile justice system, by 296% from 2012 to 2016. The 2015 recidivism rate of the SHA youth was only 13%.
• Combined with the efforts of the County’s Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative, CCPYDC helped close the Cumberland County Detention Center in 2015, saving over $1.5 million each year.
More information available at CCPYDC.com.