New Jersey Pretrial Intervention Program

The Pretrial Intervention Program, commonly referred to by the courts as PTI, is a program that is voluntarily entered into by a defendant after he or she completes an application and in-person interview. Whether a defendant is eligible for the pretrial intervention program is based on many factors including the defendant’s age, prior criminal record, the nature of the offenses with which the defendant has been charged, and the degree of violence, if any, in the charges.

The pretrial intervention program is a diversionary and rehabilitative program. It is diversionary in that if you are accepted you will not have to go to trial and face a conviction. If you complete all terms of the program successfully, the charges will be dropped against you. The program is also rehabilitative in that your application will be reviewed and a treatment plan appropriate to your case may be developed by a counselor. A rejection from the pretrial intervention program cannot be held against the defendant. If the case is rejected for admission into PTI, the case will proceed through the regular criminal justice system.

After you complete the program, all of the charges against you will be dismissed. You will not go to trial and you will not have a criminal record. Within six months of the dismissal of the charges, you may apply to have your record expunged (meaning erased) from your criminal record or “rap sheet”.

Client N.B. was charged in New Jersey with multiple counts of identity theft and motor vehicle theft after she presented two allegedly fraudulent driver’s licenses with driver’s license numbers and personal information from two Pennsylvania victims of identity theft. New Jersey Police alleged that N.B. gave a victim’s social security number and other information to get a line of credit to purchase two vehicles that were each worth approximately forty thousand dollars. After thorough review of all of the discovery and evidence in N.B.’s case, attorney Lauren Wimmer and N.B. decided that the best course of action would be to apply N.B. to the pre-trial intervention program. Although N.B. was initially facing jail time for the crimes for which she was charged, N.B. was ultimately admitted to the PTI program.

Whether you should apply to the PTI program or not is a decision that should be made after thorough consultation with a criminal defense attorney. At Wimmer Criminal Defense, we offer free consultations for every potential client. If you have been charged with criminal offenses in New Jersey, call (215) 712-1212 to schedule your free consultation with attorney Lauren Wimmer today.