Bill > A3292

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Administrative Office of the Courts in conjunction with the Superintendent of State Police and the Attorney General to develop and maintain a system to make certain domestic violence registry information publicly available over the Internet. This registry would be separate from the central domestic violence registry maintained by the Administrative Office of the Courts established pursuant to N.J.S.A.2C:25-34. Under the bill, the public would be able to gain access through the Internet to all available information concerning an individual record, any part of, or the entire domestic violence Internet registry concerning, all persons who have been convicted of one or more offenses or crimes involving domestic violence. In the case of a person who has been convicted of offenses or crimes involving domestic violence, the public may, without limitation, obtain access to the domestic violence Internet registry to view an individual record, any part of, or the entire domestic violence Internet registry including: the defendant's name and any aliases the defendant has used or under which the defendant may be or may have been known; any crime or offense involving domestic violence for which the defendant was convicted; the date and location of disposition; a brief description of any such offense, a general description of the defendant's modus operandi, if any; the defendant's age, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair, eye color and any distinguishing scars or tattoos; a photograph of the defendant and the date on which the photograph was entered into the registry; the make, model, color, year and license plate number of any vehicle operated by the defendant; and the defendant's last address. Under the bill, a defendant whose name is included in the database may petition the Administrative Office of the Courts for removal of their name from the database as follows: after two years for a first crime or offense involving domestic violence; after seven years for a second crime or offense involving domestic violence; and after 20 years for a third or subsequent crime or offense involving domestic violence. The Administrative Office of the Courts would remove the person's name from the database if the person has not been found guilty of an offense or crime related to domestic violence during the period preceding the petition. If applicable, the period would be measured from the date of the person's satisfactory completion of probation or parole, or release from incarceration, whichever date is later. However, any defendant who has been convicted of a domestic violence-related homicide, sexual assault or aggravated assault or a conspiracy or attempt to commit a domestic violence-related homicide, sexual assault or aggravated assault would not be eligible to have their name removed from the database. In addition, on the website through which a person may search the database described in the bill, the Administrative Office of the Courts would include the following information: the manner in which a person may petition the Administrative Office of the Courts for removal of their name from the database, the circumstances under which the Administrative Office of the Courts would grant the petition, and the manner in which a person may update their address. The bill also provides that no person would be held liable for failure to investigate or disclose any information from the domestic violence Internet registry that is compiled or made available to the public as provided in this bill. The bill also requires the court to order any person found by the court in a final hearing pursuant to N.J.S.A.2C:25-29 to have committed an act of domestic violence to undergo professional domestic violence counseling as follows: for a first act of domestic violence, a minimum of six months; for a second act of domestic violence, a minimum of one year; and for a third or subsequent act of domestic violence, a minimum of two years. In addition, the court would require the defendant to perform community service for a minimum of one year. The bill also increases the civil penalty for a person found by the court in a final hearing pursuant to N.J.S.A.2C:25-29 to have committed an act of domestic violence to pay from $50 to as follows: $500 for a first act of domestic violence; $1,000 for a second act of domestic violence; and $5,000 for a third or subsequent act of domestic violence. The bill would take effect on the 90th day following enactment.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Benjie Wimberly (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document