Gloucester County, one of the original counties created in New Jersey, is located in the southwestern part of the state. Established in 1686, it covers an area of about 337 square miles and is home to over 300,000 New Jerseyans. The county seat is Woodbury City.

Courts in Gloucester County

Gloucester County has a structured judicial system with various courts, including Superior,  Surrogate, and Municipal Courts, handling different legal matters.

The Gloucester County Superior Court has general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. The court has 4 divisions, including the Criminal, Civil, Family, and Chancery Divisions.  The Criminal Division handles felonies such as drug offenses, robberies, and homicides, while the Civil Division deals with disputes for monetary claims, contract disputes, and property issues. The Family Division presides over divorce, child custody, and domestic violence cases, while the Chancery Court manages probate cases involving trusts, estates, and guardianships.

The Surrogate Court in Gloucester County handles uncontested probate matters and estate administration, including adoptions, guardianship of minors, appointing personal representatives, and administrators of estates.

The Municipal Courts in Gloucester County are the lowest and handle criminal misdemeanor offenses, including traffic violations, disorderly conduct, and municipal ordinance violations. The court resolves civil disputes for claims less than $3,000.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Gloucester County

Public court records are documents from the court open to the public to view and copy.  All persons seeking public court records from Gloucester County must complete the Record Request Form and submit it electronically using the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission.

Types of Public Court Records in Gloucester County

Access to public court records is crucial to the proper functioning of the judicial system. The availability of public county records shorts openness and builds public trust in the county’s legal process. Publicly accessible court records in Gloucester County include:

• Civil Court Records: Evictions, foreclosures, small claims, landlord/tenant disputes, and business litigations
• Criminal Court Records: Felonies and misdemeanors, including murder, drug trafficking, vandalism, and disorderly conduct
• Probate Record: Guardianships, conservatorships, estate, wills, and trusts
• Family Court Records: Annulments, legal separation, divorce, alimony, child support, and child custody
• Traffic Records: Speeding violations, illegal parking, driving with a suspended license, and driving under the influence

Confidential Court Records in Gloucester County

Confidential court records are court documents that are not accessible to the public. Confidential court records are sealed and excluded from public view to protect the privacy and sensitive information of persons involved in legal proceedings. Types of confidential court records in Gloucester County include:

• Juvenile court records
• Medical and mental health records
• Trade secrets and business proprietary information
• Grand jury proceedings
• Expunged court records

Public court records contain confidential information that is excluded from public view. Personal identifiers are redacted from public court records to prevent an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy and prevent harassment or identity theft. Examples of confidential information redacted from public court records include:

• Bank account and credit card numbers
• Birth dates, home addresses, and phone numbers
• Crime victim and confidential informants' information
• Social Security numbers
• Insurance policy numbers

Juvenile Delinquency in Gloucester, NJ

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Gloucester County, juvenile delinquency offenses are on the rise. There are many reasons for the inflation in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in New Jersey often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of charges, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 620 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Gloucester County. Of that total, 100% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 619 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Gloucester County, are focusing on family counseling and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Gloucester County juvenile delinquency tallies will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Gloucester County, NJ

https://www.nj.gov/

County Seat:	Woodbury
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1686
Total Square Miles:	337
2019 Population:	292,206
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00
County Contact:	1 N Broad St County Courthouse Woodbury , NJ 08096-4602 http://www.co.gloucester.nj.us