Rules of Court · Part 5 · New Jersey
R. 5:21-4 New Jersey Rules of Court, R. 5:21-4: Place of Detention or Shelter Care, rendered as code with every cross-reference linked
Place of Detention or Shelter Care
No juvenile shall be placed in detention or shelter care in any place other than that specified by the State Juvenile Justice Commission or Department of Children and Families as provided by law. No juvenile shall be detained or placed in any prison, jail, lockup, or police station. If however, no other facility is reasonably available and if a brief holding is necessary to allow the release of the juvenile to the juvenile's parent, or guardian, or other suitable person, or approved facility, a juvenile may be held in a police station in a place other than one designed for the detention of prisoners and apart from any adult charged with or convicted of crime. Nor shall a juvenile be placed in a detention facility which has reached its maximum population capacity as determined by the Juvenile Justice Commission.
Note: Source-R. (1969) 5:8-6(a). Adopted December 20, 1983, to be effective December 31, 1983; amended July 13, 1994 to be effective September 1, 1994; amended July 10, 1998 to be effective September 1, 1998; amended July 16, 2009 to be effective September 1, 2009.
Verbatim rule text, unmarked. Nothing here is a summary.
rule 5:21-4 "Place of Detention or Shelter Care" {
No juvenile shall be placed in detention or shelter care in any place other than that specified by the State Juvenile Justice Commission or Department of Children and Families as provided by law. No juvenile shall be detained or placed in any prison, jail, lockup, or police station. If however, no other facility is reasonably available and if a brief holding is necessary to allow the release of the juvenile to the juvenile's parent, or guardian, or other suitable person, or approved facility, a juvenile may be held in a police station in a place other than one designed for the detention of prisoners and apart from any adult charged with or convicted of crime. Nor shall a juvenile be placed in a detention facility which has reached its maximum population capacity as determined by the Juvenile Justice Commission.
Note: Source-R. (1969) 5:8-6(a). Adopted December 20, 1983, to be effective December 31, 1983; amended July 13, 1994 to be effective September 1, 1994; amended July 10, 1998 to be effective September 1, 1998; amended July 16, 2009 to be effective September 1, 2009.
}
referenced_by: none
source: njcourts.gov // verbatim; changed 2025-09-16; corpus harvested 2026-09-02← R. 5:21-3 · R. 5:21-5 → · chapter 5:21 · all rules
The Rules of Court are a government edict and carry no copyright; the text above is the Judiciary’s own publication, unchanged. Structure, links and highlighting are ours and carry no legal weight. Read the rule on njcourts.gov before you rely on it; amendments take effect each September 1.