On April 28, 2011, the New Jersey state senate unanimously passed S837, a bill to further restrict where convicted sex offenders can reside. Should the bill become law, it will grant New Jersey municipalities the authority to create 500-foot “buffer zones” surrounding child-friendly sites like schools, daycare centers, playgrounds and churches. This would seriously curtail […]
New Jersey’s Megan’s Law, which requires the online registration and ongoing supervision of convicted sex offenders in the state, assesses fines in addition to any criminal penalties when people are convicted of sex crimes. In May of this year, a bill to double the monetary penalties upon conviction underMegan’s Law offenses was introduced in the Senate […]
Police make quick decisions during potentially dangerous situations every day. Officers must be wary of their surroundings when responding to emergency or community care-taking calls, for example when called regarding missing persons or the possibility of domestic violence, in addition to other possible illegal activity. These scenarios often demand warrantless searches, even when there are no […]
It may be rare, but sometimes those that are positioned to enforce laws and keep the community safe can also be under investigation for criminal acts. However, even in a position of power, an active participant of law enforcement can be under the microscope. That is exactly what happened recently to a prison guard from […]
There has been little activity in the state legislature regarding New Jersey’s version of the “Jessica Lunsford Act” since it was passed by the Senate early last month. If ultimately passed, this bill looks to impose a harsher mandatory 25 year sentence for New Jersey sex crime convictions. Specifically, the bill – Senate Bill 380 […]
A New Jersey court has admitted evidence into a criminal matter based on the “fresh complaint” exception to hearsay. A Superior Court recently ruled that the prosecution can use testimony from two witnesses in a sexual assault case. According to sources, the witnesses assert that a 16-year-old student at a Paterson, New Jersey, school told […]
In a February 2012 press conference, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie proposed an amendment to the state’s constitution, which would give state court judges the ability to hold repeat violent offenders without bail before trial. The amendment would align New Jersey’s bail laws with the federal system. While the proposal acts as a nice political […]
Since its inception in 1994, New Jersey’s Megan’s Law has been used to register and track countless individuals convicted of certain sex crimes. However, some believe that Megan’s Law may go too far when it comes to the registration of a particular group of offenders – namely, teenagers convicted of sex crimes following consensual sexual […]
A New Jersey Assembly Bill recently introduced an amendment to add “possession” of child pornography to the ever-growing list of offenses in which a conviction requires registration as a sex offender under New Jersey’s Megan’s Law. New Jersey Megan’s Law and Child Pornography Megan’s Law in New Jersey requires individuals convicted of certain sex-related offenses to […]
A New Jersey bill aimed at preventing state agencies from placing evacuated families near registered sex offenders recently passed both houses in the New Jersey legislature. However if the bill is signed and put into effect, it may inadvertently further limit the living options available to New Jersey registered sex offenders Specifically, Assembly Bill No. 2131 will give […]