Court Services Officer 1 - Criminal Division

New Jersey Courts•Morristown, NJ

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The New Jersey Judiciary is seeking a highly motivated individual with excellent reasoning, organizational awareness, technical competence, interpersonal skills, and information management skills to join the Pretrial Services Program as a Court Services Officer 1. This role operates with the highest standards of independence, integrity, fairness, and quality service, contributing to work that has purpose and meaning in the lives of the public served. The position involves engaging with issues such as bail reform, marijuana decriminalization, and recovery court, aiming to build public trust and confidence in the court system. The selected candidate will work closely with pretrial defendants, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, jail staff, local law enforcement, the private bar, and the public. The role requires flexibility to work a non-traditional schedule, including weekends, holidays, and on-call hours, as needed. The Judiciary currently offers a hybrid work schedule, and this position may qualify for up to 2 days of remote work outside of Judiciary buildings, provided the candidate installs a multifactor authentication app and has high-speed home internet access.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.
One year of paraprofessional experience in case management involving gathering, reviewing and verifying case-related information which shall have included one or more of the following: conducting investigations, monitoring casework flow, interviewing clients or customers for needed information, preparing investigative fact-finding reports and/or writing case notes or other case-related correspondence.
Applicants who do not possess the required education may substitute additional paraprofessional or professional experience on a year-for-year basis with one year of such experience being equal to 30 semester hour credits.
An associate degree from an accredited college or university and two years of additional paraprofessional or professional experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree.
Degrees conferred outside of the United States must be evaluated by a recognized evaluation service.
US citizenship is not required.
Selected candidate must be authorized to work in the US according to Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations.
Newly hired employees must agree to a thorough background check that will include fingerprinting.
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 52:14-7 (L. 2011, Chapter 70), the "New Jersey First Act," all persons newly hired by the Judiciary within one year must establish, and then maintain, principal residence in the State of New Jersey.
Applications must describe all relevant work experience in detail, beginning with your current or most recent job, including military service (indicate rank), internships and job-related volunteer work, if applicable.
Use a separate section to describe each position.
Applicants who indicate "see resume" or enter their initials to acknowledge that they have skipped the Work History and Education sections will not be considered, unless they do not possess any education history or work experience.
Only applicants that follow the application instructions and submit completed applications will be considered.

Nice To Haves

For some positions, applicants must have the ability to perform work which requires climbing and prolonged standing, stretching, bending and reaching to perform the essential duties of the position.
For some positions, the selected candidate must be able to frequently lift and carry supplies weighing from 30 to 50 pounds and, occasionally, materials weighing up to 75 pounds, in order to perform essential duties of the position.
Appointees will be required to possess a driver’s license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Responsibilities

Researching criminal case histories.
Conducting pretrial risk assessments.
Preparing reports.
Meeting with defendant and making recommendations to judges regarding conditions of pretrial release for pretrial defendants.
Staffing first appearance/Central Judicial Processing hearings and pretrial detention hearings.
Monitor the conditions of pretrial release for pretrial defendants.
Assist pretrial defendants in attaining specific goals to ensure their appearance in court and the safety of the public during the defendant's pretrial release.
Report the defendant's non-compliance and compliance with conditions of release to the court.
Provide guidance to clients with specific needs, not limited to social, emotional and rehabilitative concerns.
Make recommendations and/or referrals for social services, testing, treatment and/or counseling and will monitor clients' treatment progress.
Perform other related duties as needed.
Regular and predictable physical presence at the worksite is an essential function of this position.