This bill amends N.J.S.2C:12-1 to exempt simple assaults committed against health care workers at psychiatric screening centers from being automatically classified as aggravated assaults, provided that the perpetrator is undergoing psychiatric screening at the facility. Currently, simple assaults on health care workers are elevated to aggravated assault under certain circumstances, but this does not apply to direct care workers at State or county psychiatric hospitals or other specified facilities. The bill aims to address the unique environment of psychiatric screening centers, where patients may be agitated and combative due to long wait times, and it seeks to prevent the automatic escalation of charges that could be counterproductive for these individuals.

The bill specifically adds health care workers at psychiatric screening centers to the list of individuals for whom an assault is not automatically upgraded to aggravated assault, while maintaining the existing provisions for direct care workers at State or county psychiatric hospitals. This change acknowledges that not all psychiatric screenings occur in designated facilities and aims to ensure that patients at screening centers are treated fairly under the law. The bill is intended to balance the need for protecting health care workers while also considering the circumstances of patients in psychiatric settings.