NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—On January 4, a state law went into effect in New Jersey creating a new diversion program within municipal courts called conditional dismissal.

Much like Pretrial Intervention and Conditional Discharge, the conditional dismissal program is meant to help defendants by providing supervised treatment.

First introduced on December 13, 2012, the bill states that if a defendant is facing certain charges, the conditional dismissal program can potentially help the individual avoid a criminal record.