A matter of justice
Harris Effross on the sheriff's role in New Jersey
Archived article from Oct 30, 1998
By Steve Manas
When images of a sheriff come to mind, most New Jerseyans envision a gun-toting hombre with a white hat and silver star pinned to his chest, patrolling the dusty streets of some town in the Old West. They are less likely to think of sheriffs in their own home state.
But, according to Harris I. Effross, research professor with the Center for Government Services and the department of public policy of the Edward J. Bloustein School, the sheriff holds a special place in New Jersey history. "The sheriff is the only county officer continuously elected since 1776," he says, "and for much of the time, the office held an extraordinary amount of authority. In fact, in 1913, President Woodrow Wilson, the immediate past governor, called the sheriff 'the citadel of power in New Jersey.'"
Times have changed, however, and in his new book, "Juries, Jails, and Justice: The Sheriff 's Office in New Jersey Since the 17th Century" (Upland Press, Metuchen), Effross considers whether there is still a need for the office.
Drawing on sources including legislative documents and contemporary newspaper accounts, Effross traces the role of this influential and controversial local office from New Jersey's earliest colonial days. He examines the sheriff's duties as a peacekeeper, jailer and selector of jury panels, and also the methods of compensation that contributed to its power and influence.
"For centuries the sheriff controlled his county's justice system by selective law enforcement; for example, by disregarding laws concerning gambling and liquor consumption and by choosing grand and petit jurors, while also manipulating jail fees and allowances to acquire enormous personal profits," Effross says. "You couldn't be indicted if you were a friend of the sheriff."
Today, with prosecutors serving as the counties' chief law-enforcement agents and juries picked by computer, Effross believes there is a need to re-examine the sheriff's mission and office structure.
"A comprehensive study of the sheriff's present and potential functions should be conducted by a state commission that is representative of the citizens' various interests," Effross recommends.
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