This bill amends New Jersey's three strikes law to ensure that it applies only to individuals over the age of 18 at the time of their offenses. Specifically, it introduces new legal language stating that prior convictions for crimes committed while the individual was a juvenile will not count as predicate offenses for the purpose of imposing life imprisonment without parole. The bill also defines "juvenile" as an individual under the age of 18. This change is intended to provide judges with greater discretion in sentencing, allowing them to consider the age and circumstances of the defendant rather than strictly applying the three strikes law.

The legislation responds to a recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision in *State v. Ryan*, which held that juvenile convictions could be considered as strikes under the three strikes law. By excluding juvenile offenses from this classification, the bill aims to prevent the imposition of life sentences without parole on individuals who committed crimes as minors. The bill emphasizes the importance of judicial discretion in sentencing, particularly in cases involving young offenders, and aligns with constitutional considerations regarding proportionality in punishment.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2C:43-7.1