New Jersey CSL and PSL violation sentencing procedure

By Maynard Law Office, LLC posted in Megan’s Law on Monday, July 30, 2012.

Registrants of Parole Supervision for Life (PSL) and Community Supervision for Life (CSL) are required to submit to various examinations yearly if ordered by their parole officer, such as a polygraph or a psychological examination. In Trenton, New Jersey, a registered sex offender had just passed a psychological examination and was leaving the hospital when he exposed himself to a passerby. The woman called 9-1-1, but refused to make a statement. The offender was not charged for the alleged incident. However, he is already facing charges for violating the conditions of his special sentence after testing positive for drug use and resisting arrest. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 18 months in prison.

How the defendant’s violation will be dealt with is in part affected by whether the man is on CSL or PSL. In 2003, the New Jersey Legislature amended the special sentence of Community Supervision for Life (CSL) to Parole Supervision for Life (PSL). The change in the law prompted a change in jurisdiction over a violation case. For registrants of CSL, violations are heard before the Criminal Division of the Superior Court in the county respective to the violation arrest. PSL violations are heard before the New Jersey State Parole Board. In PSL matters, the parole board has the authority to impose addition conditions of parole or return the offender to prison after a parole revocation hearing.

Violations of CSL and PSL are fourth-degree crimes. In the case of a CSL violation, the registrant faces up to eighteen months in prison unless a prison sentence would be a manifest injustice. For a PSL violation, the parole authorities can either modify the offender’s conditions or sentence the offender to 12 to 18 months in prison, which cannot be reduced by credits for good behavior or work.

If you have been charged with a violation of CSL, PSL or Megan’s Law, contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer who can aggressively defend your rights whether it is before the criminal court or the parole board.