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5 Crim. Just. Q. 67 (1977)
Implementation of the Alcoholism Treatment and Rehabilitation Act (Atra)

handle is hein.journals/crmjusq5 and id is 149 raw text is: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ALCOHOLISM TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION ACT (ATRA) * STATEMENT OF PURPOSE On February 9, 1976, Governor Brendan T. Byrne signed into law the Alcoholism Treatment and Rehabilitation Act (A-613, hereinafter referred to as ATRA). This law sets forth the policy of the State of New Jersey that alcoholics and intoxicated persons may no longer be criminally prosecuted solely because of their abuse of alcoholic beverages. In other words, public drunkenness is no longer a crime. Instead, alcoholism is recognized to be a disease characterized by loss of control over the use of alcoholic beverages or such use which substantially injures a person's health or which substantially interferes with his social or economic functioning. The purpose of ATRA is to afford intoxicated persons and alcoholics the opportunity to receive treatment rather that punishment when no crime has been committed, or treatment in lieu of prosecution if they have committed a minor offense. ATRA represents a major commitment of effort and resources by both public and private segments of the State. In brief, ATRA establishes a Division of Alcoholism, creates an Advisory Council on Alcoholism, provides for the designation and licensing of intoxication treatment facilities, prescribes procedures to be followed in the arrest of intoxicated persons, and authorizes the establishment of service forces to assist the Recently, the New Jersey State Legislature passed the Alcoholism Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1976 (ATRA), N.J.S.A. 26:2B-7 et seq. The Act is significant in that it represents a progressive and cohesive approach to a wide spectrum of social problems created by alcoholism. To implement the Act, a Task Force was established by the Attorney General with representatives from various governmental agencies and the New Jersey Hospital Association. The following persons were involved: Patrick Scheffer, Alcohol Countermeasures Program, Division of Motor Vehicles, Task Force Chairman Richard W. Berg, Deputy Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice, Appellate Section, Manual Editor and Education Coordinator Dennis Helms, Special Assistant to the Attorney General Inspector George Hendrickson, Charlotte Kitler, Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control Deputy Attorney General, Division of Law Captain George Thomas, Peter Connell, Division of State Police Police Training Commission with the assistance of: Richard Diehl, Judith Yaskin, New Jersey Alcoholism Association Assistant Public Advocate Clinton E. Cronin, Deputy Attorney General, Chief, Prosecutors Supervisory Section, Division of Criminal Justice Donald Phelan, Chief Pretrial Services, Mary K. Brennan, Esq., Administrative Office of the Courts New Jersey Hospital Association The editors of the Criminal Justice Quarterly believe that the Manual promulgated by the Task Force must be given as wide currency as possible. Its directions for criminal justice personnel handling alcoholics implicate methods of systems' response to related and analogous problems. Consequently, the Editors of this periodical believe that publication at this time is important.

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