By: Najla Alexander
Atlantic County officials announced that last week, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office launched a pilot program bringing basic instruction on the criminal justice system to county middle schoolers.
Developed in partnership with the Egg Harbor City Community School and its principal, Dr. Gina Forester, last week's small-class presentations covered the entire sixth and eighth grades, with return visits planned, officials say.
According to Atlantic County authorities, the program provides pre-teens and younger teens with basic instruction about crime and the law that may help them make informed decisions and avoid trouble.
It follows a challenging year for some local children and their families in the criminal justice system, which has endured increases in both the number of juvenile crimes and their severity, County officials stated.
Atlantic County saw juvenile charges double in 2024 over a similar period the previous year, with more than 70% of detained juveniles having committed first- or second-degree crimes, as opposed to about 50% two years ago, officials said.
ACPO officials said thanks to increased efforts by ACPO attorneys in cooperation with the defense bar and the Judiciary’s Family and Criminal Courts, progress has been made. Substantial reductions to case backlogs, based in part on added personnel, training, and supervision in the Juvenile Unit, have been made. While those efforts continue, ACPO is focusing its community engagement and educational initiatives on this problem.
“In juvenile court, we encounter many child defendants who have little or no understanding of how they got in their current predicament,” said Rick McKelvey, Executive Assistant Prosecutor.
“Too often, what starts as mischief among a group of kids escalates into serious crime. Trash talking can easily become threats; teasing becomes harassment; borrowing becomes stealing, and stealing becomes robbery. Now, they’re charged with a crime and face serious consequences. We want to arm kids with the knowledge to prevent crossing that line.”
The lessons provided last week gave students some background into the juvenile justice crisis before covering topics such as what is a crime, ranking crimes, impact on defendants and victims and more, with students guided through scenario-based decision-making, County authorities said.
According to Atlantic County officials, one theme invites students to imagine a news or internet headline that might follow an incident of juvenile crime: what could be said about the child, their decisions, the victim, the consequences, and their parents? The students were told that police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges want them to succeed and avoid trouble through an understanding of crime and consequences.
Dr. Gina Forester, Principal of the Egg Harbor City Community School, welcomed the instruction, officials say.
"My school is lucky to have a strong partnership with ACPO, and I appreciate the time Mr. McKelvey took to speak to my students about these important topics. His presentations were well received, and my staff and students all expressed not only how valuable the information was but also how they would like him to come back again to speak with them."
Throughout the country and around the world, education is cited as an essential tool for preventing crime, increasing public safety, and promoting a culture of lawfulness, County officials said.
Officials said ACPO intends to expand this program by making it available to all county middle schools in 2025.
This initiative will join the many programs led by Prosecutor William Reynolds and ACPO instructors that are already available to teachers and administrators, including but not limited to school internet safety presentations, financial fraud seminars, and gang awareness training for our county’s educators, COunty officials say.
ACPO authoties stated see https://www.acpo.org/community-page/174 for educational presentation requests; scroll to the bottom of the page in blue text to request a criminal justice lesson.
Prosecutor Reynolds added: “This program provides very basic but very important information that may help them avoid the wrong choices as they approach their teen years. By the time our office is involved in prosecuting a child, they have gone far beyond disobeying rules set by schools or homes. They are in significant trouble now, and the consequences can be long-lasting. We need to advocate for juvenile offenders to be rehabilitated while preserving public safety. With our educational outreach, we hope to prevent offenses from occurring in the first place.”