Prohibits sentencing individual under 21 years of age to life imprisonment.
This bill prohibits courts in New Jersey from sentencing individuals under 21 years old to life imprisonment without parole for certain serious crimes. It directly affects young offenders aged 18-20 convicted of qualifying offenses like murder, aggravated assault, or sexual offenses under specific statutes. The key provision amends sentencing law to explicitly exclude people under 21 from receiving life-without-parole sentences, aligning with a Massachusetts court ruling that found similar sentencing unconstitutional. The bill does not change sentencing for adults or for crimes committed by individuals 21 or older. It would take effect immediately upon enactment.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Benjie Wimberly
DDemocratic
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