Temporarily upgrades certain offenses against persons during Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency declared by Governor's Executive Order 103 of 2020 concerning coronavirus pandemic.

S 397 temporarily increases penalties for specific crimes against persons during New Jersey's pandemic emergency (declared in Governor's Executive Order 103, 2020). It upgrades offenses like assault, kidnapping, sexual offenses, robbery, and homicide: petty disorderly persons offenses become disorderly persons offenses, disorderly persons offenses become fourth-degree crimes, and higher crimes are elevated one degree (with first-degree crimes retaining their classification but requiring mandatory minimum prison time). These changes apply only during the declared emergency period and expire when the emergency ends, though they remain in effect for prosecutions initiated during the emergency. The bill directly affects individuals convicted of these specific offenses committed while the emergency was active.