RACIAL AND ETHNIC COMMUNITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IMPACT STATEMENT

ASSEMBLY, No. 3751

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

 Prohibits use of license plate flipping device; increases penalty for displaying fictitious registration plate number in certain circumstances.

INTRODUCTION

 

      The Office of Legislative Services does not develop or maintain source data concerning the criminal justice system in the State. The Office of Legislative Services makes reasonable efforts to obtain data from Executive Branch Departments and the Judiciary. This statement may reflect information provided by the United States Census Bureau, the Administrative Office of the Courts within the Judiciary, the New Jersey Department of Corrections, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, and the Juvenile Justice Commission in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. The publicly available data and the data provided by the responding departments and agencies contained within this statement allows for a general overview of the frequencies of events of interest (i.e. arrests, charges, and convictions) for racial and ethnic minorities for the crimes identified herein. This statement does not provide for an in-depth analysis of that data.

 

      Additional data concerning recidivism rates and incarceration rates for the specific crimes addressed within this statement sorted by race and ethnicity is needed in order to make a conclusion on the impacts on racial and ethnic minorities. Additional data concerning the deterrent effects of similar laws of this type is needed to determine the impact on community criminal justice and public safety. It should be noted that the data needed may not currently be collected by the responding departments or agencies or may not exist.[1]

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

            Assembly Bill No.3751 prohibits the use of license plate flipping devices and increases the penalty for displaying a fictitious plate number if a flipping device was used.

 

Current law provides that a person convicted of displaying a fictitious number on a motor vehicle registration plate, also referred to in statutory law as a license plate, is subject to a fine of up to $500 or a term of imprisonment of up to 60 days. The bill provides that a person convicted of displaying a fictitious number through the use of a license plate flipping device:

            (1) would be subject to a fine of up to $750, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both;

            (2) if the offense is committed in a residential district or school zone, would be subject to a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, or both; and

            (3) if the offense is committed during or to aid in the commission of a crime, offense, or another violation under Title 39 of the Revised Statutes, would be subject to a fine of up to $1,500, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days, or both.

 

The bill defines a “license plate flipping device” as a device that enables a registration plate to be changed to another registration plate with different identification marks either manually or electronically. Under the bill, the term also includes technology that is capable of changing the appearance of a registration plate to appear as a different registration plate.

 

 

Federal and State Census Information[2]

 

Population

Caucasian

African American

Native American/Alaska Native

Asian

Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander

Hispanic

Two or More Races/Other

National Census Estimate

331,450,000

59.3%

13.6%

1.3%

6.1%

0.3%

18.9%

2.9%

State Census Estimate

9,289,000

53.5%

15.3%

0.7%

10.3%

0.1%

21.5%

2.4%

 

Federal and State Inmate Population Data

 

Population

Caucasian

African American

Native American/Alaska Native

Asian

Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander

Hispanic

Two or More Races/Other

Actual Federal Adult Inmate Population[3]

156,241

56.9%

38.8%

2.8%

1.5%

N/A

29.2%

N/A

Actual State Adult Inmate Population[4]

12,978

22%

60.8%

0.0%

1%

N/A

17%

N/A

 

State Census and State Inmate Population Data

 

Population

Caucasian

African American

Native American/Alaska Native

Asian

Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander

Hispanic

Two or More Races/Other

State Census Estimate

9,289,000

53.5%

15.3%

0.7%

10.3%

0.1%

21.5%

2.4%

Actual State Adult Inmate Population[5]

12,978

22%

60.8%

0.0%

1%

N/A

17%

N/A

 

DATA PROVIDED BY THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      The Office of the Attorney General did not provide relevant statistical data that captures the nature of the crime described within this bill.

 

      The following response was provided by the Juvenile Justice Commission:

 

      The Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) does not maintain or have direct access to detailed data on youth arrests, prosecutions, or adjudications (i.e. convictions).  The JJC is not a prosecutorial agency.  The JJC does not keep racial and ethnic data segregated by crimes for arrests, prosecutions, or adjudications for the juveniles committed to its care.

 

      The Department of Corrections has made available to the public statistical data concerning the State inmate population categorized by race and ethnicity for 2024, which are reflected in the charts on page 2, and offenders by base offense for 2022, 2023, and 2024 in the following charts:

 

 

Offenders by Base Offense for 2022

 

Base Offense

 

Total

 

Male Offenders in Other Facilities

 

Youth Offenders

 

Adult Diagnostic Treatment Center (ADTC)

 

Edna Mahan

Halfway Houses, County Jails,

St. Francis Hospital

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

TOTAL OFFENDERS

12,492

100%

9,442

100%

1,139

100%

410

100%

408

100%

1,093

100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property Offenses

526

4%

375

4%

57

5%

0

0%

36

9%

58

5%

 

 

 

Offenders by Base Offense for 2023

 

Base Offense

 

Total

 

Male Offenders in Other Facilities

 

Youth Offenders

 

Adult Diagnostic Treatment Center (ADTC)

 

Edna Mahan

Halfway Houses, County Jails,

St. Francis Hospital

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

TOTAL OFFENDERS

13,196

100%

9,133

100%

1,174

100%

402

100%

356

100%

2,131

100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property Offenses

525

4%

324

4%

55

5%

0

0%

31

9%

115

5%

 

 

Offenders by Base Offense for 2024

Base Offense

Total

Male Incarcerated Persons

Edna Mahan

Residential Community Release Program (RCRP),

 County Jails, Central Medical Unit (CHR)

Interstate Corrections Compact

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

Total Offenders

12,978

100%

11,176

100%

386

100%

1,140

100%

276

100%

Property Offenses

472

4%

382

3%

38

10%

39

4%

13

5%

 

 

Note: Property offenses include burglary, arson, theft, forgery, embezzlement, and receiving / possessing stolen property.

 

 

 

DATA PROVIDED BY THE JUDICIARY

 

      The Administrative Office of the Courts was unable to provide data within the timeframe, established by the Legislative Services Commission, for the production of the Racial and Ethnic Community Justice and Public Safety Impact Statement.

 



[1] This racial and ethnic community criminal justice and public safety impact statement has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2017, c.286 (C.52:11-57.1).  Although impact statements are considered a tool for policymaking, the Office of Legislative Services does not take a policy position in preparing a racial and ethnic community criminal justice and public safety impact statement.  The role of the Office of Legislative Services is to gather and present data for legislators to review.  This statement may reflect information provided by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the United States Department of Justice, New Jersey Department of Corrections, and Juvenile Justice Commission in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety.

 

[2] Publicly available data obtained from the federal census for national and State populations as of April 1, 2020.

[3] Publicly available data of federally sentenced persons in custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as of June 1, 2024.

[4] Publicly available data produced by the New Jersey Department of Corrections concerning the State inmate population on January 1, 2024.  It has been reported by the New Jersey Department of Corrections that the Fiscal Year 2024 average daily population was 12,490.  However, that number has not been sorted by race or ethnicity.

[5] Publicly available data produced by the New Jersey Department of Corrections concerning the State inmate population on January 1, 2024.  It has been reported by the New Jersey Department of Corrections that the Fiscal Year 2024 average daily population was 12,490.  However, that number has not been sorted by race or ethnicity.