What is Criminal Justice Reform?

Criminal Justice Reform represents a fundamental change in how defendants and their cases are processed in the New Jersey courts. On Jan. 1, 2017, the state moved from a system that relied principally on setting monetary bail as a condition of release to a risk-based system that is more objective, promotes public safety and is fairer to defendants because it is unrelated to their ability to pay monetary bail. The new law also sets deadlines for the timely filing of an indictment and the disposition of criminal charges for incarcerated defendants.