Juvenile Defense Attorney in New Brunswick, Middlesex County
Reviewed by William A. Proetta, Esq. · Updated October 2026
When someone under 18 in New Jersey is accused of conduct that would be a crime or offense for an adult, the case is a juvenile delinquency complaint under the Code of Youth Justice, N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-20 and following. A judge, not a jury, decides it in the Superior Court, Family Part; a proven charge is an “adjudication of delinquency,” not a conviction, and the judge imposes a “disposition,” not a sentence. Custody caps under N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-44 run from 6 months for a disorderly persons offense to 4 years for a 1st-degree crime, with longer terms for murder and, on the prosecutor’s application, extended terms for certain repeat or multiple serious offenses (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-44(d)(3) and (4)).
For Middlesex County, juvenile cases from Edison, Woodbridge, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy and every other town are heard at the Family Courthouse, 120 New Street, New Brunswick, a few blocks from the criminal courthouse on Paterson Street. We defend young people and guide their parents from our Edison office, and with more than 15 years of criminal trial experience I know how much of a juvenile case is decided in its first days.
How Does a Juvenile Case Move Through Middlesex County?
Police contact. Taking a juvenile into custody is not legally an arrest, and the officer must notify a parent immediately (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-33). Attorney General Directive 2020-12 limits a station hold to 6 hours and makes a complaint-summons, which lets the child go home, the default for most charges.
Detention. Release to a parent is the rule. Detention requires a judge’s or intake’s approval and specific grounds, such as a recent failure to appear or a serious safety risk tied to a qualifying charge (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-34). A detained child goes to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center on Apple Orchard Lane in North Brunswick and must see a Family Part judge no later than the next morning, weekends and holidays included. Our Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center guide covers that hearing and the review dates after it.
Intake. The complaint goes to Court Intake Services at the Family Courthouse and to the Juvenile Unit of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Intake has 5 days to recommend dismissal, diversion or court action, and any crime, repetitive disorderly persons offense or drug disorderly persons offense goes to court unless the prosecutor consents to diversion.
Adjudication and disposition. If the case is not diverted, the judge hears the evidence at an adjudicatory hearing. Juveniles have the constitutional rights of adults except indictment, a jury and bail (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-40), and a right to counsel at every critical stage (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-39). If the charge is proven, a separate disposition hearing follows.
How a juvenile case moves through Middlesex County
From police contact in Edison, Woodbridge, New Brunswick or any other town to the Family Courthouse, 120 New Street, New Brunswick.
Juveniles have the constitutional rights of adults except indictment, a jury and bail (2A:4A-40), and a right to counsel at every critical stage (2A:4A-39).
What Can a Family Part Judge Order?
The disposition list in N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-43(b) is broad. It runs from a deferred disposition (up to 12 months, then dismissal) and release to a parent, through probation of up to 3 years, restitution, community service, counseling, treatment and education programs, to postponement or suspension of a driver’s license for up to 2 years when a vehicle was involved. A judge may also order up to 60 consecutive days in a certified county juvenile detention facility for an act that would be a crime or a repetitive disorderly persons offense, when aggravating factors substantially outweigh mitigating ones. P.L.2019, c.363 repealed the provision that let judges fine juveniles (former 2A:4A-43(b)(8)), effective July 1, 2020.
Commitment to a Youth Justice Commission facility (formerly the Juvenile Justice Commission) is the most serious outcome, and the code caps it by grade:
Maximum juvenile terms, most serious first
Commitment to a Youth Justice Commission facility, capped by grade under N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-44(d)(1). Bars run from zero to each ceiling on a 0 to 20 year scale.
These are ceilings. A child 11 or younger cannot be committed to a state juvenile facility except for arson or a 1st- or 2nd-degree crime. Extended terms for certain repeat or multiple serious offenses are possible on the prosecutor’s application (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-44(d)(3) and (4)).
These are ceilings. A child with no prior adjudication charged with a 4th-degree or lesser offense is presumed not to be incarcerated, and a child 11 or younger cannot be committed to a state juvenile facility except for arson or a 1st- or 2nd-degree crime.
Can a Case Be Diverted or Moved to Adult Court?
Most juvenile cases can at least be considered for diversion: a stationhouse adjustment at the police department, an intake service conference, a juvenile conference committee, or a deferred disposition at the end. Our page on juvenile diversion and stationhouse adjustments explains who decides each and what it requires.
At the other extreme, the prosecutor may move to waive a case to adult court if the child was 15 or older and is charged with a listed serious offense such as 1st-degree robbery, carjacking, sexual assault or a specified firearm crime. The motion must come within 60 days after the prosecutor receives the complaint, unless the court extends that time for good cause. Our guide to waiver to adult court in Middlesex County covers the factors, the hearing and the consequences.
Common Juvenile Charges We Handle
Two charge pages answer common parent questions:
- Drugs. Since 2021, small amounts of cannabis bring warnings with parental notice rather than charges, but pills and other drugs are still delinquency matters. See our page on juvenile drug possession.
- Fake IDs. Possessing a false government ID is a 4th-degree crime and using one is 3rd degree, with a mandatory license forfeiture. See our page on fake ID charges, which also covers 18- to 20-year-olds in adult court.
What Happens to a Juvenile Record?
Juvenile files are “strictly safeguarded from public inspection” under N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-60, but not secret from everyone. A victim and the school principal can request the child’s identity, the charge and the outcome, and police or the prosecutor must notify the principal in writing when, among other triggers, an offense happened at school or would be a 1st-, 2nd- or 3rd-degree crime. Confidential is not the same as cleared. A court may seal juvenile records 2 years after final discharge with no new offense (N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-62), and an entire juvenile record may be expunged 3 years after final discharge if the conditions of N.J.S.A. 2C:52-4.1 are met. Our Middlesex County expungement section explains filing.
What Parents in Middlesex County Should Do First
- Tell officers politely that your child will not answer questions without a lawyer.
- Find out whether a complaint was signed, for what charge and grade, and whether your child is going home or to North Brunswick.
- Gather report cards, any IEP or 504 plan, counseling records and activities; intake, the prosecutor and the judge all weigh them.
- Keep your child off social media about the incident.
- Mark every date. A missed intake or court appearance can close the door to diversion.
What parents in Middlesex County should do first
If your child is charged in Edison, Woodbridge, New Brunswick or any other Middlesex town- Tell officers politely that your child will not answer questions without a lawyer.
- Find out whether a complaint was signed, for what charge and grade, and whether your child is going home or to North Brunswick.
- Gather report cards, any IEP or 504 plan, counseling records and activities; intake, the prosecutor and the judge all weigh them.
- Keep your child off social media about the incident.
- Mark every date. A missed intake or court appearance can close the door to diversion.
Edison office, 3840 Park Ave, Suite 202A · free case review 24/7
Juvenile Defense FAQs
Where is juvenile court in Middlesex County?
At the Family Courthouse, 120 New Street, New Brunswick, next to the county’s New Street parking deck.
Is a juvenile adjudication a criminal conviction?
No. It is an adjudication of delinquency followed by a disposition, and the record is confidential with limited exceptions.
Does my child get a jury in juvenile court?
No. A Family Part judge decides the case; juveniles have adult rights except indictment, a jury and bail.
Where is a detained child from Edison or Woodbridge held?
At the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center in North Brunswick, with a hearing before a Family Part judge by the next morning.
Can my child’s case be kept out of court?
Often. Stationhouse adjustments, intake conferences, juvenile conference committees and deferred disposition can all end a case without an adjudication.
Can a 15-year-old be tried as an adult?
Only for a listed serious offense, on the prosecutor’s motion within 60 days, after a Family Part hearing.
Talk to a Middlesex County Juvenile Defense Lawyer
Bring the summons or complaint and any paperwork police gave you. Our Edison office answers (732) 659-9600 day and night, or you can contact us online for a free, confidential review.