This bill seeks to strengthen penalties for criminal street gang recruitment, particularly concerning offenses involving minors. It establishes mandatory minimum sentences for individuals convicted of soliciting or recruiting minors, with a minimum of seven years for those recruiting minors and ten years for those recruiting minors under 14 years of age, during which they will be ineligible for parole. The bill also introduces accomplice liability, holding defendants accountable for the actions of others if they have encouraged or solicited those individuals to commit gang-related crimes. Additionally, it expands the definition of gang criminality to include crimes committed during recruitment efforts and imposes a first-degree crime charge with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years for defendants convicted as accomplices for crimes committed by minors they solicited.

Moreover, the legislation imposes residency restrictions on individuals convicted of recruiting minors, barring them from living within 500 feet of schools or playgrounds, and establishes penalties for hiring or volunteering individuals with such convictions in child-contact positions. Offenses committed on school property will be classified as a fourth-degree crime if the offender resides within the specified distance from an elementary or secondary school or playground, with certain exceptions outlined. The bill also stipulates that individuals convicted of these offenses who work in child-contact roles will face fourth-degree charges, as will those who knowingly hire or provide volunteer opportunities to such individuals. Penalties for a fourth-degree crime include potential prison terms of up to 18 months and fines of up to $10,000.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2C:33-28, 2C:33-29