New Jersey Office of Juvenile Defense Services

The New Jersey Office of Juvenile Defense Services (OJDS) headquarters in the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex which is located in Trenton. With one Public Defender, one First Assistant Public Defender and two Assistant Public defenders, the primary purpose of the office is to provide a specialized and coordinated approach to representing juveniles and to function as a central information clearinghouse. Juvenile delinquency cases are heard in Family Court, where the judge has jurisdiction over both the child and the child's family members; the proceedings are typically closed to the public, and the judge has a wide range of dispositional options available to fulfill the rehabilitative goals of the NJ Code of Juvenile Justice. Public Defenders have an ethical responsibility to work for the best possible resolution of the case for the client. All dealings between a court-appointed attorney and the client are confidential. Attorneys who provide public defense representation are not only subject to the New Jersey State Bar's ethical requirements that govern all lawyers but must also meet qualification standards that have been established for public defense representation. For further assistance, you should first contact the OJDS.