Bill > S2519

Introduced Session

This bill requires public health emergency credits to be awarded to certain inmates during a public health emergency declared by the Governor in order to provide remission of time from their sentences. The COVID-19 death rate of inmates in New Jersey is the highest in the country. While the State of New Jersey has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, inmates in this State have been afflicted at a particularly alarming rate, as the inability of inmates to quarantine or practice social distancing creates a higher risk to their lives. In providing a method to award these credits, it is the sponsor's intent to expedite the release of certain inmates who are approaching the end of their sentences in order to reduce the risk of harm to inmates and correctional facility staff, while simultaneously protecting the public safety. This bill provides for public health emergency credits to be awarded to certain inmates in the event a public health emergency is declared by the Governor that arises as a result of a communicable or infectious disease, and results in the modification of correctional facility operations. Under the bill, public health emergency credits are to be awarded to any inmate in the custody of the Department of Corrections who is serving a sentence or receiving jail credits applicable to the sentence. The credits would provide further remission from both the maximum and minimum term of the inmate's sentence at the rate of six months for each month, or portion of each month, served during the declared emergency with a maximum of 12 months of remission to be awarded for any declared emergency period. The award of public health emergency credits is not to limit or affect an inmate's eligibility for parole consideration. Public health emergency credits are not to be awarded under the bill to an inmate who has been deemed a repetitive, compulsive sex offender. The bill also provides that juvenile offenders, other than those deemed to be repetitive, compulsive sex offenders, are eligible to receive public health emergency credits. The bill further provides that these juveniles are eligible to receive other credits provided under current law.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Sandra Cunningham (D)*,  Nellie Pou (D)*,  Patrick Diegnan (D),  Thomas Giblin (D),  Mila Jasey (D),  Gordon Johnson (D),  Shirley Turner (D),  Loretta Weinberg (D),  Andrew Zwicker (D), 

Approved P.L.2020, c.111. (on 10/19/2020)

Official Document