[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Camden 11-13-2025 by Ord. No. MC-5589. Amendments noted where applicable.]
LEGAL GUARDIAN
Means a person who exercises continuing control over a child, including any specific right of control over an aspect of the child's upbringing, pursuant to a court order.
MINOR
An individual who is under 18 years of age.
OFFENSES AGAINST THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY OR WELFARE
Means those offenses as defined, herein.
PARENT or GUARDIAN
Means any natural parent, adoptive parent, resource family parent, stepparent, or any person, who has assumed responsibility for the care, custody, or control of a child or upon whom there is a legal duty for such care.
PARENTAL SUPERVISION
Means the involvement of a parent or parents in his or her minor child's life, thereby ensuring the minor child's health, safety and appropriate development, and includes exercising control over a minor child, knowing his whereabouts, his associates, and the activities he is engaging in, which could adversely affect the public safety, health and welfare of the minor and the community, at large.
PUBLIC PLACE
Means any place to which the public has access, including but not limited to a public street, road, thoroughfare, sidewalk, bridge, alley, plaza, park, recreation or shopping area, school and school grounds, community center, public transportation facility, vehicle used for public transportation, parking lot, public library or any other public building, structure or area.
A. 
Offenses against the public health, safety or welfare are hereby defined to include:
(1) 
Conduct defined as delinquency in N.J.S.A. 2A:4A-23.
(2) 
Any act or offense for which the juvenile could be prosecuted through a criminal action or proceeding, including those taking place in New Jersey Family Court or other New Jersey court with jurisdiction over the juvenile.
(3) 
A violation of Title 2C, New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice.
(4) 
Manufacturing, distributing, or possessing a controlled dangerous substance or controlled substance.
(5) 
A violation of any City of Camden ordinance, including but not limited to Chapter 282, Curfew.
(6) 
Knowingly visiting establishments, including but not limited to gambling places, which constitutes a violation of the City of Camden Code or New Jersey law.
(7) 
Truancy.
(8) 
Vehicle offenses including the provisions of Title 39, N.J.S.A. 39:1-1 et seq. related to operating a motor vehicle but not including illegal parking violations.
(9) 
Defacing or destroying public property or the property of another.
B. 
Offenses against the public health, safety or welfare shall be punishable as provided for in § 284-6 and § 284-7 of this chapter, herein.
It shall be unlawful for any parent, guardian or legal guardian of a minor child under 18 years of age, by any act or other conduct, or through the lack of parental supervision, or lack of parental control over said minor, to assist, encourage, contribute toward, cause or tend to cause said minor child to violate an offense as provided for in § 284-2 of this chapter herein, within the City of Camden.
It shall be unlawful for any parent, guardian or legal guardian of any minor child under 18 years of age, to allow or permit said minor to violate an offense as provided for in § 284-2 of this chapter herein, either by overt act, failing to act or by a lack of supervision and control over said minor child.
The fact that a child under 18 years of age is apprehended while in or at any public place as defined herein, during curfew hours as provided for in Chapter 282, shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this chapter by the parent(s), guardian(s) or legal guardian(s) of the minor child.
When a minor under 18 years of age is apprehended in violation of an offense as provided for in § 284-2 of this chapter herein and has been brought before a Judge of New Jersey Family Court or other New Jersey Court with jurisdiction over the juvenile minor, and upon the Court's determination that the minor is guilty of an offense as provided for in § 284-2 of this chapter herein, the parent, guardian or legal guardian of said minor may be summoned before a Judge of the Municipal Court of the City of Camden and ordered to promptly provide appropriate supervision of the minor. For a second offense, a Judge of the Municipal Court of the City of Camden may once again order the parent, guardian or legal guardian of said minor to promptly provide appropriate supervision of the minor. A third and subsequent offense, by said parent, guardian or legal guardian of a minor child for failure to provide appropriate supervision, shall subject the parent, guardian or legal guardian to the penalties as provided for in § 284-7 of this chapter herein.
Any parent, guardian or legal guardian of a minor child violating the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction for a third or subsequent offense, be subject to the penalties imposed in accordance with the provisions of § 1-15. In addition to or in lieu of a fine or imprisonment being imposed, a period of community service not exceeding 90 days may be imposed.