State Senate Passes Jessica Lunsford Act

For the third week in a row, action has been taken on the Jessica Lunsford Act.

The New Jersey State Senate passed legislation (S-380/S-642) that would enact the Jessica Lunsford Act in the state.

The action comes just two weeks after it passed out of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, and one week after  bill A-2027 was passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee. That bill will now go for a vote before the full General Assembly.

The bill would impose mandatory prison terms of between 25 years and life in prison for anyone convicted of aggravated sexual assault of any child under 13 years old. Those convicted must serve 25 years of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Currently, anyone found guilty of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years old is found guilty of the first degree crime of aggravated sexual assault. First degree crimes normally carry with them prison sentences of 10-20 years, fines of up to $200,000, and sometimes both.

The District 9 Legislative Delegation of Sen. Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne C. Gove sponsor the Jessica Lunsford legislation in both the Senate and the Assembly.

“If ultimately enacted into law, the mandatory sentences called for under the Jessica Lunsford Act will make our streets safer by incarcerating dangerous child predators for longer sentences, if not the rest of their lives,” Connors said.  “Prior to the legislation being acted upon by the Legislature, our Delegation established an online petition in support of the Jessica Lunsford Act to coordinate with the local efforts on this issue.   Since 2008, our Delegation has supported the Jessica Lunsford Act with the understanding that strengthening our state’s child predator laws is an issue of significant importance to our constituency.”

“Given the most dangerous of sexual offenders’ propensity to reoffend and remain a danger to the community, the mandatory sentencing requirements, under the Jessica Lunsford Act, are appropriate and needed in the interest of public safety,” Rumpf said. “ In fact, since being advanced in the committee process, the legislation has been expanded to provide that a person who purposely harbors a sex offender that has failed to register is guilty of a fourth degree crime and would be subject to a minimum 6 months in prison. Unquestionably, the Jessica Lunsford Act will solidify State law in sentencing the most dangerous child predators and build upon the overall protections that first began with the enactment of Megan’s Law. ”

“Our Delegation is elated that, finally, the Legislature is moving with deliberate speed to advance the Jessica Lunsford Act as a legislative priority,” Gove said.  “Last week, the Assembly took the first step in that House by unanimously releasing the Jessica Lunsford Act from the Assembly Judiciary Committee.  Not only does the Jessica Lunsford Act have widespread public support, but there is growing bipartisan support in the Legislature.  Our Delegation strongly believes this is due to not only the public safety benefits from the mandatory sentencing requirements but also from the added measure of justice that the Jessica Lunsford Act would bring to victims and their loved ones as well as to the community as a whole directly affected by such tragic and unspeakable crimes.”

Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered by a registered sex offender in 2005. Lunsford was from Florida, and many states have enacted “Jessica’s Law” since. New Jersey is one of the few remaining states that have not, but the process has been moving rapidly the past few weeks.

Galloway resident Anna Jezycki has been at the forefront of a strong push to get the Jessica Lunsford Act passed into law in the state. She led an effort to get letters mailed to the state's 188 municipalities urging them to support the act.

In February, township residents pushed the District 9 Delegation on the issue when they visited Galloway for a town hall meeting.

Following that meeting, the delegation began an online petition drive calling for legislative action to be taken on the Jessica Lunsford Act as well as other sex offender legislation. Residents can sign that petition online at http://district9.senatenj.com.