Morris County Juvenile Detention Inmate Bail & Bonds

A Superior Court judge decides for anyone charged on a complaint-warrant, the court paper that lets police hold a person. Someone charged on a summons, which is like a ticket naming a court date, must be set free (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-16).

After a warrant arrest, the steps usually run like this:

1. A judge or judicial officer must look over the complaint inside 12 hours.
2. Pretrial Services, a court office, scores a Public Safety Assessment. It rates the chance the person skips court or gets arrested again.
3. The first appearance must come no later than 48 hours after jailing. Statewide, judges make over three quarters of first release calls inside 24 hours.

Crime cases get their first hearing in one central spot, before judges the Chief Justice names for that job (R. 3:4-2). The jail is wired for video court. Pretrial Services for this county sits on Floor 4 of the Morris County Courthouse, 56 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 862-397-5700, ext. 75370.

New Jersey law ranks the choices from lightest to strictest, and the judge has to use the lightest one that works (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-17).

• Own recognizance (ROR). The person signs and leaves, paying nothing. An unsecured appearance bond is similar; the person owes money on it only after a missed court date.
• Release with conditions. Home again, but with rules to obey, such as no contact with a certain person.
• Monitoring. Pretrial Services tracks people at levels called PML1 through PML3+. Low levels can be phone or text reminders. High levels can be in-person reporting, an electronic monitor or home detention.
• Money bail. Permitted only as a backup, when no lighter option will bring the person back for court. Safety is never a reason for it.
• Detention. After a hearing, the person stays jailed until trial.

In the first six months of 2025, roughly one warrant defendant in 11 statewide was released on ROR. About one in 5 was detained. The rest mostly left under monitoring.

Money bail has turned into a rare event. In 2021, only 23 people statewide were ordered to pay it. Nearly all of them had violated earlier release terms. Over the five years starting in 2017, fewer than 1 eligible defendant in 500 got a money bail order.

When a judge does set money, these rules usually apply:

• Crimes in Superior Court. The judge sets the amount. A court directive says a 10% cash deposit may satisfy the bail unless the judge requires a surety (R. 3:26-4(g)).
• Domestic violence. Charges tied to domestic violence never get the 10% option.
• Town court warrants. Municipal judges still set money bail, mainly on a bench warrant after someone misses court. Those amounts come from statewide bail schedules set by the courts' central office.

For one person's amount, call Records at 973-631-5174 with the birth date and full legal name in hand. For a municipal warrant, call the town court that signed it.

The jail's address is 43 John Street, Morristown, NJ 07960. The building itself stands in Morris Township, though mail and maps use the Morristown address. Follow these steps:

1. Call Records at 973-631-5174. Spell out the legal name, then the date of birth.
2. Ask for the exact amount, which case it covers, and whether 10% cash is an option.
3. Ask where and when bail is accepted, and the payee name for a money order or cashier's check.
4. Find out if a bail source form has to go to the prosecutor before payment. Some people have to state, under oath, where the money came from and who put it up (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-13).
5. Carry photo ID and the full amount, and save each receipt.

If Records stays busy, try Administration at 973-631-5413.

The answer turns on which court set the amount.

• Bail set in Superior Court. Superior Court money matters go to Finance, Floor 1, in the county courthouse, 56 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 862-397-5700, ext. 75130. Ask whether your payment belongs there or at the jail.
• Bail on a town court warrant. Call the town court whose judge signed the warrant. Ask how, where and during which hours it accepts bail. As one example, the Morristown court is at Town Hall, 200 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-292-6687, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Police stations. Call the arresting department before driving over, and ask if it handles bail at all.

The judge's order names the court and the case number. Read both to the clerk when you call.

The jail takes bail, fines, fees and probation payments in three forms:

• Cash
• Money order
• Cashier's check

Bring a personal check or a card only if staff say it will work. The lobby kiosk and the phone and web deposit service load money onto an inmate's account. They are not for bail. For account deposits, see our inmate money page.

Town courts make their own rules for fines. The Morristown Violations Bureau, for one, takes cash, money orders, checks and major credit cards. NJMCdirect takes card payments online for tickets and fines. Never put cash in the mail. Ring Records at 973-631-5174 before you head out.

They still exist, but they see much less work than before 2017, since most people now walk out owing nothing. In the rare case with a dollar amount, a licensed agent may sign a surety bond and charge the family for it.

• New Jersey's insurance regulator, the Department of Banking and Insurance, must license every bail agent as a producer allowed to sell bail bonds. Sellers without one can't do this work here.
• Ask to see the license. Get the fee and any collateral, meaning property the agent holds, on paper.
• Some charges allow only full cash or a bond from an authorized surety company. The judge's order says which.
• When a bail source inquiry happens, the sworn form must name the surety company and give its license number.

Before you sign, ask the defense lawyer whether a bond is even needed. Records at 973-631-5174 can read you what the court ordered.

Each release order, and each bail, applies to a single case. Ask Records at 973-631-5174 to read out every hold. Watch for these:

• Another warrant. It may come from a town court, a different county or another state.
• A case in Sussex or Somerset. People from those counties are housed here, but their own county's court controls release.
• Probation. A probation violation can add a hold. Probation for this county works from the Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown, NJ 07963, 862-397-5700, ext. 75486.
• Parole. Contact the State Parole Board, P.O. Box 862, Trenton, NJ 08625, 609-292-4257.
• A bail source check. Where the form is required, the money waits until the prosecutor receives the form.
• Federal or immigration holds. These follow federal rules, and state release leaves them in place.

Yes. A detention motion from the prosecutor asks that the person stay behind bars until trial (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-19). It is allowed for charges like murder, violent first- or second-degree crimes, Graves Act gun crimes, certain sex offenses and domestic violence. Prosecutors may also ask in any crime case where they believe the person may flee, hurt someone or scare witnesses.

• Judges usually rule on the motion at the first appearance. Delays are short. The defense may get 5 days at most, and the prosecutor 3.
• A lawyer stands with the person at the hearing, appointed free if needed.
• Murder charges, and charges that carry a possible life term, start from a presumption that the person stays in. The defense can argue against it.
• The defense may appeal a detention ruling on a fast track.
• Someone kept in jail gets deadlines. Prosecutors have 90 days to win an indictment. Then the trial clock gives 180 days. Delays the defense causes don't count, and two years is the hard cap.

These motions come from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, 10 Court Street, Floor 3, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-285-6200.

This goes through the defense attorney, who files a written motion explaining why the terms should change. Judges look for proof such as:

• A steady home and job in the area
• Relatives who will help get the person to court
• What the family can truly afford, if money bail was set
• A treatment plan, if drugs or alcohol played a part

By law, money can only be required to secure a court appearance, never to protect the public (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-17). Detention rulings may be appealed. For a crime case, call the Criminal Division at 862-397-5700, ext. 75340. Town court case? Phone that court.

In New Jersey, a person accused of an indictable crime is owed a defense lawyer, rich or poor. An indictable crime matches what most states name a felony. Judges sort this out with a questionnaire called the 5A form: address, work history, earnings, bills, debts and language help.

• Office of the Public Defender, 2150 Headquarters Plaza, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-631-6260. It takes approved crime cases heard in this county.
• State headquarters: Hughes Justice Complex, 25 Market Street, Trenton, NJ 08625, 609-292-7087.
• Town court cases: town courts can appoint a lawyer for a person who could get jail time, lose a driver's license or owe more than $800 in penalties, if their income is low enough. The fee runs up to $200, and the judge can cut or drop it.

Ask for the application at the court that has the case.

The Superior Court tries indictable crimes. Disorderly persons offenses, which other states call misdemeanors, go to town courts with traffic and local law cases.

• Superior Court, Criminal Division: Morris County Courthouse, 56 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 862-397-5700, ext. 75340.
• Federal court: 50 Walnut Street, Room 4015, Newark, NJ 07101, 973-645-3730.

Municipal courts, listed by the towns each one hears:

• Boonton Township: 155 Powerville Road, Boonton Township, NJ 07005, 973-402-4006
• Boonton, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Rockaway Borough: 3333 Route 46, Parsippany, NJ 07054, 973-263-4290
• Butler, Riverdale: 91 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, Riverdale, NJ 07457, 973-835-1013
• Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Madison, Morris Township: Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, NJ 07940, 973-593-3026
• Chester Borough, Chester Township: 1 Parker Road, Chester, NJ 07930. Mendham Township's court uses the same line, 908-879-5100
• Denville: 1 Saint Mary's Place, Denville, NJ 07834. Mountain Lakes shares this line, 973-625-8300
• Dover, Victory Gardens: 37 North Sussex Street, Dover, NJ 07801, 973-366-2200
• East Hanover, Hanover: 1000 Route 10, Whippany, NJ 07981, 973-428-2519
• Florham Park: 111 Ridgedale Avenue, Florham Park, NJ 07932, 973-410-5324
• Harding, Long Hill: 915 Valley Road, Gillette, NJ 07933, 908-647-8369
• Jefferson: 1033 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849, 973-208-6129
• Kinnelon: 130 Kinnelon Road, Kinnelon, NJ 07405, 973-838-7644
• Lincoln Park: 973-694-6100
• Mendham Borough, Washington Township: 43 Schooleys Mountain Road, Long Valley, NJ 07853, 908-876-3852
• Mine Hill, Rockaway Township: 65 Mount Hope Road, Rockaway, NJ 07866, 973-627-9000
• Montville: 360 Main Road, Suite 2, Montville, NJ 07045, 973-335-1022
• Morris Plains: 973-538-4019
• Morristown: 200 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-292-6687
• Mount Arlington, Wharton: 419 Howard Boulevard, Mount Arlington, NJ 07856, 973-398-6832
• Mount Olive, Netcong: 204 Flanders-Drakestown Road, Budd Lake, NJ 07828, 973-691-0900
• Pequannock: 973-835-5700
• Randolph: 973-989-7055
• Roxbury: 973-448-2034

Hold on to every receipt and your photo ID. The court keeps posted bail while the case is open.

• For bail set in Superior Court, ask the Finance office at the county courthouse, 56 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 862-397-5700, ext. 75130, how and when a refund goes out.
• For bail set in a town court, call that court with the same question.
• Skipping a court date can bring a bench warrant, a new arrest and the loss of the bail money. If a date was missed, call the court that same day.

A fee paid to a bail agent is a separate deal with that company. Ask the agent, in writing, what comes back and when.

Sort out money and property before release, or right at the door. Call Records at 973-631-5174 and ask how any balance left on the jail account is paid out.

• Family may pick up an inmate's property on that inmate's set visiting day, when the inmate asks for it.
• Inmates can also mail their property out, at their own cost.
• Bring photo ID, and ask whether staff need a signed note from the inmate.

For how deposits and balances work, see our guide to inmate accounts.

Federal cases from these towns land in Newark's U.S. District Court, 50 Walnut Street, Room 4015, Newark, NJ 07101, 973-645-3730. The clerk keeps weekday hours, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• The first stop is a magistrate judge, on arrest day or one day later.
• The detention hearing comes at that first appearance. A lawyer on either side may request a few extra days (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)).
• The government can get up to 3 days. The defense can get up to 5. Weekends and holidays don't count.
• U.S. Pretrial Services interviews the person. Its office is at 50 Walnut Street, Room 1018, Newark, NJ 07101, 973-645-2230.
• A defendant who stays locked up is in U.S. Marshals custody. The Newark office is at 50 Walnut Street, Room 2009, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-645-2404. Ask there which jail has them.
• The Federal Public Defender is at 1002 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-645-6347.
• After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. Paid bail settles release on the state case only, and an ICE hold runs on its own track. The usual sequence:

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) puts its hold request in writing on a detainer, Form I-247A.
2. After that, John Street staff may keep them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE officers come to John Street to collect them.
4. ICE may move them to a detention center such as the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, 625 Evans Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201, 908-282-5700. The ICE field office for New Jersey sits at 970 Broad Street, Floor 11, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-776-3274.
5. Search for them on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Under the Immigrant Trust Directive, a 2019 rule from the state Attorney General, county jail staff can't hold someone past release just because of a detainer. The exceptions are people with a past or pending charge for an offense the Directive lists as violent or serious, people convicted of an indictable crime at some point in the last five years, and anyone whose removal order, signed by a federal judge, is on file with the jail. Any such hold must stop by 11:59 p.m. that same day. Staff have to give the person written notice of each ICE request, plus copies of what ICE sent.

Prison terms for indictable crimes are served under the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Male prisoners are first processed at the Central Reception and Assignment Facility, P.O. Box 7450, Trenton, NJ 08628, 609-984-6000. Female prisoners begin at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, P.O. Box 4004, Clinton, NJ 08809, 908-735-7111. Intake workers look at medical and treatment needs, then set a security grade and pick where the term is served.

• The DOC's Incarcerated Person Search Engine is reached from its offender information page.
• DOC central office: Whittlesey Road, P.O. Box 863, Trenton, NJ 08625, 609-292-4036.
• Our New Jersey state prisons list has a page for every prison.

Anyone under 18 who can't be sent home stays in the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, 460 West Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, NJ 07960, 973-285-2959. The county Department of Human Services runs it. Teens from Sussex, Hunterdon and Warren counties stay there too.

• Youth charges belong to the Superior Court's Family Part. Call Family intake at 862-397-5700, ext. 75145.
• Teens 15 and up who face some of the gravest charges, such as homicide or first-degree robbery, may get a waiver hearing that sends the case to adult court. That motion must be filed within 60 days of the complaint.
• Parents can owe money for a youth's public defender, the defender's office notes. The local office is at 2150 Headquarters Plaza, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-631-6260.

This jail also houses adults for two other counties. Since fall 2019, every Sussex County inmate has been kept here. Somerset County signed a deal in June 2024 that runs to May 2029, and since October 22, 2024 every Somerset arrest is booked in Somerville and then brought here.

The home county's court still controls release, bail and the case. What to do:

• Call Records at 973-631-5174 to confirm the person is here.
• For a Sussex case, call the Sussex County Sheriff's Office, 39 High Street, Newton, NJ 07860, 973-579-0850.
• For a Somerset case, call the Somerset County Jail, 40 Grove Street, Somerville, NJ 08876, 908-231-7150. People are booked there first, then moved to Morris.