Youths Entitled to Hearing Before Adult Jail Move

A state appellate court has ruled that juvenile offenders in New Jersey are entitled to due-process hearings before they are transferred from a juvenile facility to an adult prison.

The decision made public Tuesday revokes an administrative rule that allowed juvenile justice officials to transfer some juveniles to adult prisons without even notifying the youths.

The case was brought by an unidentified juvenile offender who was tried in a juvenile court and found delinquent of several offenses. He initially was sentenced to a juvenile facility, but was later transferred to an adult prison after he allegedly punched a corrections officer.

The offender argued that he was entitled to a hearing before being transferred, but state officials argued that they were not required under state law.

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