Mental Health Diversion Program Introduced In Cape May County

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ — The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office has announced the introduction of their new Mental Health Diversion Program.

In 2025, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office (CMCPO) and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO) were awarded a grant from the Office of the Attorney General to develop a prosecutor-led Mental Health Diversion Program (MHDP) for Cape May County, based upon the existing program in Atlantic County. The grant has allowed CMCPO and ACPO to fund the services of a mental health provider that will cover screening, evaluation, and case management services in both counties. Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Atlantic County has been awarded the contract for services.

In the program, eligible defendants can be diverted from the criminal justice system and into appropriate case management and mental health services. The program seeks to identify defendants with certain indictable charges who will agree to comply with supervised treatment in exchange for delayed prosecution of those charges. In addition to treatment, participants must comply with regular court appearances and other supervisory requirements as needed. Upon successful completion of these requirements, cooperative defendants can have their sentences downgraded or charges dismissed without prejudice.

Eligible defendants who are better served by the Veterans Diversion Program or by Recovery Court, where substance abuse is a primary motivator, will be directed toward those programs as appropriate. Violent offenses or sexual offenses will likely exclude an individual from participation in MHDP. As directed by statute, this is a prosecutor-led program, so the CMCPO will have sole discretion to determine whether an applicant is legally eligible for the program and is qualified to be enrolled.

Applications for enrollment in the CMCPO MHDP are being accepted now. The application and information concerning the CMCPO MHDP can be found on the Resources tab of CMCPO webpage at www.cmcpo.net. Completed applications can be uploaded to eCOURTS or sent to Krista.Trullender@njcourts.gov.