Passaic County Jail

A Superior Court judge does, most often within two days. It starts with how police write the charge. A summons means release on the spot with a date to come back. A warrant means the person is held while Pretrial Services runs a Public Safety Assessment. That is a scored report on how likely the person is to miss court or cause harm (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-16).

• Sheriff's staff in Wayne book the person, then move them to the Bergen or Hudson jail that same day.
• A person booked from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. may stay for a same-day court date. Most people see a judge after the move.
• The release ruling has a deadline: within 48 hours from the moment the person enters jail (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-17). The Judiciary says the first hearing comes 24 to 48 hours after arrival.
• These first hearings are run by a central court, called Central Judicial Processing (R. 3:4-2).

New Jersey's word for a serious charge is an indictable crime. There are four levels, and first degree carries the longest terms. Other states would call them felonies. The county courthouse is at 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505. Call 973-653-2910 and ask for ext. 24310 for Pretrial Services, ext. 24380 for Central Judicial Processing, or ext. 24300 for the Criminal Division.

The law hands judges a ladder. They begin on the lowest step and climb only as high as they must (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-17):

1. Own recognizance, or ROR. Nothing is paid. The person just signs, agreeing to come to each hearing. An unsecured bond works much the same way, except the person would owe money after skipping court.
2. Rules with no money. The judge must pick the lightest set of rules that will do the job.
3. A dollar amount. The law permits money only to secure a return to court. Judges may not set a figure just to keep a risky person off the street.
4. A blend. Some rules plus some money.

Pretrial Services keeps an eye on people released with rules. At the lightest level, a court reminder by phone or text may be the whole deal. Stricter levels bring reporting in person each week or month, electronic monitoring, or home detention. Court reports name these levels ROR and PML 1 through PML 3+. PML stands for Pretrial Monitoring Level.

In the first half of 2025, about 1 in 11 people charged on warrants across the state got ROR. About 1 in 5 were held with no release at all.

For most new arrests, the cost is zero. Courts almost never ask for cash now. During 2021, only 23 people in the whole state were ordered to pay bail, and in almost every one, the person had already broken release rules. Over five years, from 2017 through 2021, only 233 of 196,083 eligible defendants got a money bail order. That is fewer than 1 in 500.

A dollar figure can still appear in these cases:

• Broken release rules. A judge may add bail after a violation.
• Town court warrants. On a municipal bench warrant or warrant complaint, bail must follow schedules set by the Administrative Office of the Courts (R. 7:4-2). Missing a court date can lead to bail set on the new warrant.
• Disorderly persons arrests. These are lesser charges, much like what other states call misdemeanors. On these, a town judge may ask for money only when lesser steps would fail to bring the person back (R. 7:4-1).
• Ten percent cash. Where the law allows it, paying 10% of the amount in cash can meet the bail. That choice never applies to a domestic violence charge.

The court that set the bail can tell you the figure. For a town warrant, that is the municipal court in that town. For a Superior Court case, call the Criminal Division at 973-653-2910, ext. 24300.

Follow these steps in order, so you don't make a wasted trip:

1. Call the Sheriff's where-held line, 973-881-4200, to learn which jail has the person.
2. For a man at the Bergen County Jail, 160 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, call its Records Unit at 201-336-7903. Confirm they are there and ask the amount.
3. For someone at the Hudson County Correctional Center, 30-35 South Hackensack Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032, call 201-395-5600 and ask for the inmate and bail desk.
4. Ask which court set the bail, whether 10% cash is allowed, and if the case needs a bail source form. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:162-13, some cases need a sworn form naming who put up the money. The jail must wait until the prosecutor receives it before any money changes hands.
5. Bring a photo ID and the exact kind of payment the jail names.
6. Hold on to each receipt, since any refund depends on it.

Bergen's Sheriff says bail at that jail runs through the Bergen County Superior Court Finance Division, 10 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, 201-221-0700, ext. 25150. Ask whether a Passaic case is handled the same way before you leave home.

Sometimes. Each place has its own steps, so call first.

Paterson Municipal Court, 111 Broadway, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-321-1515. Judges take turns so one is on call 24 hours a day for bail, search warrants and restraining orders.

1. Phone the office on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
2. Ask the amount and where and how it can be paid.
3. Go in Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or Monday to Wednesday evenings, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Passaic City Municipal Court, 330 Passaic Street, Passaic, NJ 07055, 973-365-5639. The Violations Bureau window takes fines and bail Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call ahead to ask which payments the window takes.

The other 14 town courts. Call the municipal court where the warrant came from. Our court guide lists each one with its phone.

Superior Court Finance Division, at the courthouse, 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-653-2910, ext. 24040, or ext. 24050 for payment questions. Ask whether it can take money on your case.

Rules differ by place, so ask the exact office before you bring money.

• Bergen County Jail (jail page), 160 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, 201-336-3500: only cash, or a cashier's check payable to the Office of the Bergen County Sheriff. The jail turns away personal checks and credit cards.
• Hudson County Correctional Center (jail page), 30-35 South Hackensack Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032: ask at 201-395-5600.
• Town courts: ask the court clerk which forms of payment the window takes.

Passaic City and Wayne send people to NJMCdirect to pay traffic tickets and court fines with a card. Ask the court before you count on it for bail. Do not mail cash for any reason. If a bail source form is required, nothing can be paid until the prosecutor has it.

Yes, but far less than before 2017, since money bail is now rare. If a judge orders cash in your case, a licensed bond company may cover it through a surety bond, and it charges you for that. Bergen's Sheriff notes that its office is not a party to that deal. The contract is between you and the company.

• No bond company is required unless the judge orders one.
• For some listed charges, the judge may insist on every dollar up front, or on a bond from an approved surety company.
• Agents need a producer license issued by the state Department of Banking and Insurance. Unlicensed agents have been barred since the end of 2003 (DOBI Bulletin 03-29).
• The sworn bail source form asks you to name the bonding firm and its state license, so have both in hand before signing.
• Get the fee in writing, and ask whether any part of it comes back.

Each case gets its own release decision. Any of these can stall the walk out the door:

• Another warrant. A town bench warrant or another county's warrant needs its own release.
• A detention motion. The prosecutor may file to have the person held until trial.
• Probation. A violation can bring a new hold. The Probation Division is at 55 Dale Avenue, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-653-2910, ext. 24147.
• Parole. The State Parole Board, P.O. Box 862, Trenton, NJ 08625-0862, 609-292-4257, can lodge its own hold.
• Another state. A person wanted elsewhere may wait for that state.
• A federal or immigration hold. Federal marshals or ICE may ask the jail to keep the person.

Before you pay anything, ask the jail to list each hold on file. Call the Bergen County Jail, 160 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, at 201-336-3500, or the Hudson County Correctional Center, 30-35 South Hackensack Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032, at 201-395-5600.

Everyone is eligible for release before trial. A judge may still say no if no money, no rules and no mix of the two can get the person to court, protect other people, or keep the case from being blocked (N.J. Const. art. I, para. 11).

• Who asks. The prosecutor files a motion. It is allowed for murder, crimes with a life term, many violent and gun crimes, some sex crimes, domestic violence, people with a record of at least two earlier convictions, or any case the prosecutor sees as a serious risk (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-19).
• When. The hearing takes place by the first court date. A defense request can delay it by up to five days, and a prosecutor request by up to three.
• Murder and life-term cases. For these, the starting point is that jail continues. The defense can try to prove otherwise.
• Rights. The person has a lawyer, free if they can't pay. They can question witnesses and offer their own facts.
• Appeal. The defense may challenge a detention order in a higher court, which must act quickly. The person remains locked up until the appeal is decided (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-18).

From January to June 2025, prosecutors around New Jersey asked for detention 7,909 times, and judges said yes 3,880 times. Local motions come from the county Prosecutor's Office, 401 Grand Street, 7th Floor, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-881-4800.

Work through the defense lawyer. The lawyer can ask the judge, in writing, to look at the terms again, or can appeal if the person was ordered held.

1. Collect papers that show a steady job, a home address, school, child care duties or a treatment bed.
2. Give them to the lawyer, along with a plan that answers the judge's worries, such as a curfew or check-ins.
3. Keep track of time. Before indictment, a held person's limit is 90 days in jail. After indictment, trial must start within 180 days. Some delays don't count. After two years, the person must go free if the state still isn't ready for trial, leaving out delays the defense caused (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-22).

Reach the public defender at 973-977-4150. For questions about a case file, the Criminal Division's customer service desk is at 973-653-2910, ext. 24397.

The state guarantees a lawyer to anyone accused of an indictable crime. If the court finds they can't afford one, the Office of the Public Defender takes the case.

• The court hands the person a "5A form." It covers where they live, their job, income, criminal history and any need for an interpreter.
• The court, not the public defender, makes the money decision. It weighs income and property against bills and debts.
• Once approved, the case goes to the regional office at 66 Hamilton Street, 3rd Floor, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-977-4150.
• For a detention hearing, the court appoints a lawyer at no cost when the person lacks the money.

Town court cases use municipal public defenders. A person may qualify if they face jail, losing their license, or penalties over $800, and they pass a money test. There may be a fee to apply, $200 at most, and the judge can cut or waive it for good cause. Ask the town court for the form.

Most state court work happens in downtown Paterson. Building hours vary, so call before you go and leave time for security screening.

• Passaic County Court Complex (Superior Court criminal, family and civil cases), 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505. Main court line 973-653-2910, ext. 24300 for the Criminal Division. Sheriff's court security: 973-247-8068.
• Criminal Records Room, same building, 973-247-8402.
• Family Division (youth cases), Administration Building, 401 Grand Street, 8th Floor, Suite 819, Paterson, NJ 07505. Use the main court line and ask for ext. 24390.
• Court User Resource Center, for people without a lawyer, 71 Hamilton Street, Room 130, Paterson, NJ 07505, ext. 24470 on the main line. Open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• 16 municipal courts, one in each town. Our court guide lists every one.
• Federal court in Newark, 50 Walnut Street, Room 4015, Newark, NJ 07101, 973-645-3730.

Bail is returned after the court releases the bond, which is often when the case ends. Bergen's Sheriff says refunds there go through the Superior Court Finance Division and are paid only with court papers showing the bond was released.

• Keep the receipt and bring photo ID when you ask.
• For a Passaic Superior Court case, call the Finance Division's payment line, 973-653-2910, ext. 24050.
• For town court bail, call the municipal court that took it.

Bail can be lost if the person misses court. A judge can then issue a bench warrant, and new money bail may be set on it. Help the person keep every date. Pretrial Services may send reminder calls or texts, so make sure the court has a phone number that works.

A person's things travel with them. When the Sheriff moves someone to the Bergen or Hudson jail, all their property goes too. Questions about it go to the jail that now holds them, so call that jail first. After that, a member of the Passaic Sheriff's staff will reach out with next steps.

• Hudson County Correctional Center (jail page), 30-35 South Hackensack Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032, 201-395-5600. Family can pick up property Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a government photo ID. Before pickup, the person inside signs the release paperwork with help from a social worker.
• Bergen County Jail (jail page), 160 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, 201-336-3500, press 4 for the jail. Find out when the jail pays back unused account funds, and when items can be collected.

Hudson releases people at any hour, every day. Our inmate money guide explains how jail accounts work.

That call belongs to a magistrate judge in the federal system. A federal charge filed here is heard in Newark, at the federal courthouse, 50 Walnut Street, Room 4015, Newark, NJ 07101, 973-645-3730. The clerk is open weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Expect a first hearing on the arrest date or the morning after.
• The detention hearing happens at that first hearing. It can be pushed back up to three days if the government asks, or five if the defense asks (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)).
• While the case is pending, the U.S. Marshals have charge of the person. Their office is at 50 Walnut Street, Room 2009, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-645-2404.
• The Bergen County Jail, 160 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, has held federal prisoners for the Marshals since 2001. Call the Marshals to learn where your person is.
• The Federal Public Defender is at 1002 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-645-6347.
• After a prison sentence, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Not by itself. State release and a federal immigration hold run on separate tracks. This is the usual order of events:

1. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called ICE, sends a detainer on Form I-247A to the jail holding the person.
2. The form asks for a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Federal immigration officers then collect the person from the jail.
4. One place ICE holds people in New Jersey is the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, 625 Evans Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201, 908-282-5700. Newark's ICE field office sits at 970 Broad Street, 11th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-776-3274.
5. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

State rules go further. The Immigrant Trust Directive, which the Attorney General issued as No. 2018-6 and updated in 2019, sets limits of its own. Those limits bind county jails such as Bergen and Hudson. Under it, a jail may honor a detainer past the release time in just three situations. The first is a person facing, or found guilty in the past of, a crime on the state's violent or serious list. Another is an indictable conviction of any other kind within five years. The third is an order of removal that a federal judge has made final and sent to the jail. Even then, any added hold must end by 11:59 p.m. that same day. The jail must also give the person written notice, in a language they know, whenever ICE makes a request, and share a copy of each ICE document with them.

A prison term moves the person into the care of the New Jersey Department of Corrections. The person first goes through a reception center. Staff look at health, mental health and any drug problems. Next comes a custody rating, and with it a prison placement. Levels run from close custody, the strictest, down to community status. A committee reviews the level at least once a year.

• Search on the Department of Corrections offender information page.
• Call the department at 609-292-4036, or write Whittlesey Road, PO Box 863, Trenton, NJ 08625.
• See our New Jersey prison directory for details on each one.

Youth under 18 go to a juvenile detention center, not an adult jail. Their cases are heard in the Family Division. The county's shared-services list sends youth to three centers, but it doesn't say which youth go where:

• Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center, 200 North Street, Teterboro, NJ 07608, 201-336-3900
• Essex County Juvenile Detention Center, 80 Duryea Street, Newark, NJ 07103, 973-849-0942
• Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, 460 West Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, NJ 07960, 973-285-2959

Parents should call the Family Division, 401 Grand Street, 8th Floor, Suite 819, Paterson, NJ 07505, at 973-653-2910, ext. 24430 for the juvenile unit. Ask where your child is and the date of the hearing. For some very serious crimes, a teen who was 15 or older can face a transfer to adult court, after a hearing. The public defender takes youth cases too, though parents are expected to help pay.

The Sheriff's short-term processing site is in Wayne. Staff there book adults and then send them to a partner jail. No one spends the night. The county shares its jail needs with Bergen and Hudson through shared services agreements.

• Men go to the Bergen County Jail, 160 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, 201-336-3500.
• Women go to the Hudson County Correctional Center, 30-35 South Hackensack Avenue, Kearny, NJ 07032, 201-395-5600. At times, some men are housed there as well.
• Release questions are handled by the jail that holds the person.

For help, call the where-held line at 973-881-4200. The Sheriff's Office main line is 973-389-5900, at 435 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, NJ 07470.

The charge decides the court. New Jersey uses three tracks:

• Indictable crimes. These are ranked first, second, third or fourth degree. Most other states would call them felonies. The Superior Court's Criminal Part takes them from arrest to the end.
• Disorderly persons offenses. These are the smaller charges, a bit like misdemeanors. The "petty" kind sits one step lower still.
• Town matters. Town courts take those smaller charges, along with traffic tickets, breaks of local rules, and hunting or fishing cases.
• Youth cases. The Family Division hears these.

Plenty of crimes are first filed in a local court and only later sent upward. Without probable cause, a solid basis for thinking the person committed a crime, a judge throws the complaint out. A charge can also drop a level, becoming a disorderly persons case that the town court finishes. People get a jury only when they face more than six months behind bars.

Head to the Court Complex, 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505. Criminal, family, civil and special civil parts of the Superior Court all work from this building. Expect a security line run by sheriff's officers. Court security answers at 973-247-8068.

One switchboard, 973-653-2910, reaches most offices. Ask for:

• ext. 24300, criminal case management, 2nd floor
• ext. 24397 or 24398, criminal customer service
• ext. 24310, Pretrial Services
• ext. 24430, the Family Division's juvenile unit
• ext. 24070, the Municipal Division office
• ext. 24320, Recovery Court

Nearby offices:

• Criminal Records Room, in the Court Complex: 973-247-8402
• Family Division, Administration Building, 401 Grand Street, 8th Floor, Suite 819, Paterson, NJ 07505
• Probation Division, 55 Dale Avenue, Paterson, NJ 07505
• Court User Resource Center, a help desk for people with no lawyer, 71 Hamilton Street, Room 130, Paterson, NJ 07505, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The rest keep business hours, so phone on a weekday first.

Each of the 16 towns runs a court of its own. There are no joint courts here. Session days shift, so phone first. Courts, phones and usual court days:

• Bloomingdale: 101 Hamburg Turnpike, Bloomingdale, NJ 07403, 973-838-0127. First, third and any fifth Wednesday.
• Clifton: 900 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013, 973-470-5860. Monday to Friday.
• Haledon: 510 Belmont Avenue, Haledon, NJ 07508, 973-790-0500. Tuesdays.
• Hawthorne: 445 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ 07506, 973-427-4767. Thursdays.
• Little Falls: 225 Main Street, Little Falls, NJ 07424, 973-256-2400. Office hours Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday to 1:00 p.m.
• North Haledon: 973-423-0232. Mondays, except the second Monday.
• Passaic City: 330 Passaic Street, Passaic, NJ 07055, 973-365-5639. Alternative number: 973-365-3975. Court on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; office open weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Paterson: 111 Broadway, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-321-1515. Monday to Friday, plus evening hours Monday to Wednesday.
• Pompton Lakes: 973-835-0143, ext. 236. Tuesdays, three times a month.
• Prospect Park: Violations Bureau, 106 Brown Avenue, Prospect Park, NJ 07508, 973-790-7902, ext. 527 or 528. Tuesdays.
• Ringwood: Municipal Building, 60 Margaret King Avenue, Ringwood, NJ 07456, 973-962-6146. First three Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m.
• Totowa: 537 Totowa Road, 2nd Floor, Totowa, NJ 07512, 973-956-1005. Alternative number: 973-956-1000, ext. 1006. Mondays, three times a month.
• Wanaque: 973-839-3000, ext. 7145. Thursdays.
• Wayne: Municipal Building, 475 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ 07470, 973-694-1800, ext. 3305. Office open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays until 7:00 p.m.
• West Milford: 973-728-2751. Thursdays.
• Woodland Park: Municipal Building, 5 Brophy Lane, Woodland Park, NJ 07424, 973-345-8100, ext. 217. Tuesdays.

The clock starts at arrest. Within 12 hours of a warrant arrest, the case must reach a judge or judicial officer. Next, Pretrial Services fills out a Public Safety Assessment, a risk score, and gives the judge its advice on release.

The law sets a 48-hour limit, counted from jail entry, for this first appearance. For people arrested in this county, it usually takes place at the Bergen or Hudson jail after the transfer. A small group booked in Wayne from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. may be seen that same day. During the hearing:

• The person learns what they are charged with and what rights they have.
• The judge rules on release: home with no rules, home with rules, or jail.
• The Office of the Public Defender can be assigned.
• When prosecutors seek to hold the person, the detention hearing happens no later than this date, barring a brief delay.

A person handed a summons skips all this. Their first date in court falls within 60 days of the summons.

These cases never leave the town court. A municipal prosecutor presents them. The town judge rules alone, with no jury.

• Top penalty, disorderly persons. Six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
• Top penalty, petty disorderly persons. Thirty days in jail and a $500 fine.
• Doing it online. NJMCdirect can find your ticket, take payment, record a not guilty plea, or reschedule the hearing. The Municipal Complaint System does the same for charges that aren't traffic.
• First small drug charge. Conditional discharge may be offered. The person is supervised for up to three years, and the case is dropped if they succeed. It is a one-time chance and costs $75.
• Other first small charges. Conditional dismissal is close to that. It brings one year under probation's eye, then the judge may drop the case. The $75 fee can be waived. It is closed to domestic violence and drunk driving cases.

Skipping court or a payment can bring added fines, a license suspension, or an arrest. If money is short, ask the court about paying over time.

A Superior Court case moves in this order:

1. Early meeting. Within 45 days of the first appearance, the court sets a talk about an early deal or a diversion program.
2. Grand jury. A group of up to 23 local people weighs the proof. A vote of 12 or more sends up an indictment, the formal written charge. If the person is in jail, this has to happen within 90 days, not counting delays the court excuses.
3. Arraignment. Inside 14 days of indictment, the charges are read out in court.
4. Status conferences. Only two are allowed. The first one is the initial case disposition conference.
5. Pretrial conference. This is normally the cutoff for plea deals. A later plea needs the top criminal judge's okay.
6. Trial. If the person is still locked up, a jury should be hearing the case by day 180 after indictment, again not counting excused time. A guilty or not guilty verdict needs a unanimous jury.
7. Sentencing. The judge states the reasons in court, then signs the judgment of conviction.

The judge picks a prison term inside a set range (N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6). A first-degree crime carries 10 to 20 years. For second degree it is 5 to 10, for third it is 3 to 5, and the fourth-degree cap is 18 months. A first-degree fine can climb as high as $200,000.

Guns and serious harm bring tougher rules.

• Graves Act. Using or carrying a gun in a listed crime sets a minimum term with no parole: the greater of 42 months or half the sentence.
• No Early Release Act. A person convicted of murder, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, sexual assault, home invasion or another crime on the list serves 85% of the sentence before parole (N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2). Release is then followed by parole supervision: 5 years after a first-degree crime, 3 after a second-degree one.
• Held before trial. With murder, or any charge carrying a possible life term, the starting presumption is jail until trial. The defense carries the job of proving release is safe.
• Teens. Some violent charges against a youth of 15 or older can be moved up to adult court.

Recovery Court screens out violent charges and violent records. Ask the defense lawyer early which rules fit the case.

Yes. Two Superior Court programs can close a case with no conviction:

• Pretrial Intervention (PTI). PTI is built mainly for people with no past record. You may apply online or at the Criminal Division. Try to apply before an indictment. Once arraignment is over, the window shuts at the first case disposition conference. It costs $75, which can be waived. A judge may pause the case up to 36 months. Meet every condition and the charges are thrown out.
• Recovery Court. This program is for adults whose crimes are tied to drugs or alcohol. In late 2024, the program here had more than 200 people in non-violent drug cases. It means strict probation, treatment, drug testing and frequent court check-ins, often for one to two years. A graduate may later get the record cleared, with no guarantee.

PTI is a one-time offer. Past use of PTI rules a person out, and so does an earlier conditional discharge or conditional dismissal. Phone the Criminal Division at 973-653-2910, ext. 24300, or ask for ext. 24320 for Recovery Court.

Prosecution. The county Prosecutor's Office reviews each complaint and handles crimes in Superior Court. It is in the Administration Building, 401 Grand Street, 7th Floor, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-881-4800. Town court cases are handled by a municipal prosecutor for that town.

Defense. The Office of the Public Defender takes indictable cases for people who can't pay, once the court approves a 5A money form. Its regional office is at 66 Hamilton Street, 3rd Floor, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-977-4150.

• Judges make the money decision, not the defender's office.
• A town court appoints a lawyer when the person lacks money and faces jail, a lost license, or more than $800 in penalties. There may be a fee of up to $200 to apply. The judge may lower it or drop it.
• Anyone may hire a private lawyer instead.

The defense lawyer gets every court notice, so ask them first. You can also try these:

• Superior Court. The Judiciary's Promis/Gavel public access holds criminal cases from 1980 on. To ask by phone, call the Criminal Records Room at 973-247-8402.
• Town courts. Search the Municipal Court Case Search to get a ticket or complaint number, or phone the court in the town that charged the person.
• Copies. Court Rule 1:38 governs requests for court files. For help with copies, phone Judiciary Customer Services at 609-421-6100. That line can also tell you which town issued a ticket.
• Records requests. The Criminal Division's records desk is at 973-653-2910, ext. 24330.

Have the case number handy. If you lack it, give the person's name and birth date.

The Sheriff's Warrant Squad serves arrest and bench warrants for this county. It is based at 435 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, NJ 07470, and answers questions at 973-389-5900. The state's fugitive list is the NJ State Police Most Wanted page. For a town warrant, phone that town's court or use the Municipal Court Case Search. If the warrant came from Superior Court, phone the Criminal Division at the courthouse, 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-653-2910, ext. 24300. To clear one, go in with a lawyer and turn yourself in, or ask the court that issued it, by phone, to give you a new date. The public defender's office is at 973-977-4150.

Federal prosecutors bring local cases in the Newark branch of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The clerk's office is at 50 Walnut Street, Room 4015, Newark, NJ 07101, 973-645-3730, weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Newark cases carry numbers that start with "2:".

• A magistrate judge holds the first hearing, normally within a day of arrest. The judge explains the charges and arranges a lawyer.
• A detention hearing is held at that time. A delay of up to three days is possible on the government's motion, or five on the defense's (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)).
• People kept in jail are under the U.S. Marshals, 50 Walnut Street, Room 2009, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-645-2404.
• The Federal Public Defender, 1002 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-645-6347, represents people who can't pay.
• Read filings through PACER. Once a prison term begins, check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Charges in state court go on even with a detainer in place. Expect these steps:

1. ICE lodges a Form I-247A detainer at the jail.
2. It seeks a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. If ICE comes, its agents take the person straight from the jail.
4. ICE often uses its Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, 625 Evans Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201, 908-282-5700. Statewide, ICE's Newark Field Office works from 970 Broad Street, 11th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-776-3274.
5. Search by name on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

State policy narrows this. The Attorney General's Immigrant Trust Directive says a county jail, such as the two that hold people from here, may honor a detainer past release only for some violent or serious charges or convictions, an indictable conviction of any kind within five years, or a removal order made final by a federal judge. In each case, the hold may not run past 11:59 p.m. that day. ICE may question a detained person only with that person's signed consent. The person gets written word of every ICE request. A 2021 law, P.L.2021, c.199, also stops public agencies from signing or renewing immigration detention deals.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections takes charge of anyone sentenced to prison. They begin at a reception center. Staff there run checks on the body, the mind and any addiction. Scores from a set system place them in one of six custody grades, with close custody the tightest and community status the loosest. A prison is then picked. That level is reviewed by a committee every year or sooner.

• Look the person up from the corrections offender information page.
• The department's main line is 609-292-4036.
• For parole, write the State Parole Board, P.O. Box 862, Trenton, NJ 08625-0862, or call 609-292-4257.
• Facility details are in our New Jersey prison listings.

The Family Division takes youth cases. It sits in the Administration Building, 401 Grand Street, 8th Floor, Suite 819, Paterson, NJ 07505. Dial 973-653-2910 and ask for ext. 24430, the juvenile unit. Detained youth are kept at a juvenile detention center, away from adults. The county uses three. Ask the Family Division which one has your child:

• Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center, 200 North Street, Teterboro, NJ 07608, 201-336-3900
• Essex County Juvenile Detention Center, 80 Duryea Street, Newark, NJ 07103, 973-849-0942
• Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, 460 West Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, NJ 07960, 973-285-2959

When a teen was 15 or older, the prosecutor may seek to send a very serious case to adult court. Prosecutors get 60 days from receiving the complaint to file, and a Family Part judge then holds a hearing. Before the first detention hearing, that teen stays out of adult jails. The public defender, 973-977-4150, takes youth cases, and parents may be billed for part of the cost.

Under the state constitution, victims are owed fair, caring and respectful treatment (N.J. Const. art. I, para. 22). The Crime Victims Bill of Rights also promises updates on the case, the right to address the judge before sentence is passed, and freedom from threats.

• Local help. The Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy works inside the Prosecutor's Office, 401 Grand Street, Paterson, NJ 07505, 973-881-4340. It can share case news by letter, phone or an online portal, and warn victims when a person is let out.
• Paying for losses. The Victims of Crime Compensation Office, 877-658-2221, may help with doctor or therapy costs, missed pay, and burial costs. Victims have 9 months to report to police and 5 years to file.
• Custody alerts. VINELink sends word when someone's custody changes. To sign up by phone, call 877-846-3465.