It's no secret that sex crimes, especially those involving child victims, are taken extremely serious in the state of New Jersey and across the country. Particular child abuse cases will become media staples and then inspire drastic changes to sex crime laws across the globe.
New Jersey is a step closer toward adopting a new law that would significantly lengthen the prison sentence for certain convicted sex offenders in New Jersey. The legislation is called the Jessica Lunsford Act, after a child in Florida who was the victim of sexual crime.
If passed, the Jessica Lunsford Act would do the following:
Those convicted of aggravated sexual assault against a child under the age of 13 would face mandatory sentencing of 25 years to life in prison. There would be no possibility of parole before 25 years of imprisonment.
Sentencing for the same sex crime in New Jersey is currently less severe. Those convicted of the serious offense are imprisoned for at least 10 years, but sometimes up to 20.
Supporters of the legislation believe that this law would effectively keep the more serious convicted sex offenders off of the streets longer and, therefore, prevent them from the high likelihood that they would reoffend. They believe that the law has a strong chance of becoming law in New Jersey very soon.
A mere accusation of a sex crime can be devastating to a person's life, future and family. One can't turn to a sex crimes defense attorney quickly enough in order to begin protecting one's chance at the best outcome in such a highly stressful situation.
Source: The SandPaper, "Senate Passes 9th District-Supported Jessica Lunsford Act," Oct. 11, 2012