This bill amends existing New Jersey law to expand the list of offenses for which a juvenile may be waived to adult criminal court, specifically including theft or unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. It stipulates that juveniles aged 15 years or older who have previously been adjudicated delinquent for these offenses are now eligible for waiver to adult court. Additionally, the bill establishes that the use of a juvenile in the theft of a motor vehicle is a strict liability crime, meaning that individuals aged 18 or older who employ a juvenile under 17 for this purpose can be prosecuted without the need to prove intent or knowledge regarding the juvenile's age.

The bill modifies the legal language to reflect these changes, specifically inserting provisions that define the strict liability crime and the conditions under which juveniles can be waived to adult court. It also removes the requirement for the prosecution to prove that the adult had knowledge of the juvenile's age in cases of employing a juvenile for theft. The penalties for strict liability use of a juvenile in theft of an automobile are set as a second-degree crime, which carries a potential sentence of five to ten years in prison and fines up to $150,000.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2A:4A-26.1, 2C:20-17