By Tom Moran, Criminal Justice Reform Task Force Chair
Our coalition partner—Abolish Life Imprisonment (an initiative of Salvation and Social Justice)—is planning a robust publicity campaign starting soon. The campaign will endeavor to advance legislation through the lame-duck session of the New Jersey legislature. Although our bill has not yet been finalized and introduced, we do have a draft bill based on the March 2023 Report of the New Jersey Criminal Sentencing & Disposition Commission.
The New Jersey Criminal Sentencing & Disposition Commission is chaired by NJ Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz, and the commission includes representatives of both legislative houses, the Department of Corrections, the Attorney General’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Parole Board, and others.
The report findings recommend resentencing for persons incarcerated for a non-capital offense who are greater than 60 years of age, have served more than 20 years in prison, and have unblemished behavior records. They further recommend resentencing for persons convicted of a capital crime who are 62 years of age and have served more than 30 years in prison, and who have unblemished behavior records.
To learn more, visit SecondLookNJ.org.
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