SENATE, No. 855

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 26, 1996

By Senator BENNETT

An Act concerning prison sentencing and supplementing P.L.1979, c.441.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “No Early Release Act.”

    2. a. Notwithstanding any commutation credits allowed for good behavior and credits earned for diligent application to work and other institutional assignments, or any other provision of law to the contrary, an inmate sentenced for a crime of the first or second degree involving violence to the custody of the Department of Corrections shall not be eligible for parole until the inmate has served not less than 85 percent of the court-ordered term of incarceration.

    b. The provisions of subsection a. of this section shall not reduce the time that must be served before eligibility for parole by an inmate sentenced to a mandatory minimum period of incarceration.

    c. The Parole Board shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the purposes this act pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill creates the “No Early Release Act” which supplements the "Parole Act of 1979," and is intended to increase prison time for offenders committing the most serious crimes in society.                  The bill requires that any person convicted of committing a first or second degree crime involving violence serve a minimum of 85 percent of his court-ordered term of incarceration, regardless of the number of commutation credits, work credits, or minimum custody credits earned.

Requires persons convicted of certain crimes to serve at least 85% of the term of incarceration.