Amends "three strikes law" to apply only to persons over 18 years of age.
This bill amends New Jersey's "three strikes" law to exclude crimes committed when a person was a juvenile (under 18) from counting toward the two prior serious offenses required for a mandatory life sentence without parole. It directly affects individuals with prior juvenile convictions for serious crimes (like murder, sexual assault, or robbery) who would otherwise face automatic life imprisonment. The key change adds explicit language requiring all prior offenses to have been committed as an adult, reversing a 2022 Supreme Court decision that allowed juvenile offenses to count as "strikes." This gives judges discretion to consider a defendant's age and circumstances rather than mandating life sentences for offenses committed as minors.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced May 20, 2024
Last action May 20, 2024
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
May 20, 2024
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Shirley Turner
DDemocratic
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about S 3291
Scope: NJ
Hi! I can help you understand S 3291. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline