RACIAL AND ETHNIC COMMUNITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IMPACT STATEMENT

ASSEMBLY, No. 4530

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Allows sentencing to extended term for repeat convictions of receipt of stolen property.

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. 4530 provides that a person may be sentenced to an extended term of imprisonment for repeat convictions of receiving stolen property.

 

            Under the bill, a person is a persistent offender if the person has previously been convicted on two or more prior and separate occasions of receiving stolen property in violation of N.J.S.A.2C:20-7, regardless of the dates of the convictions.  A persistent offender may be sentenced to an extended term, upon motion of the prosecutor, if the prior conviction is for a crime committed on a separate occasion and the crime for which the person is being sentenced was either: (1) within 10 years of the date of the defendant’s last release from confinement for the commission of any crime; or (2) within 10 years of the date of the commission of the most recent violation of N.J.S.A.2C:20-7 for which the defendant has a prior conviction.

 

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 following data was provided, as a part of the submission, from the Office of the Attorney General: 

 

 

Arrests by Race – 2022, 2023, Q1 2024

Offense Category

Statute Code

STATUTE DESCRIPTION

Am. Indian / Alaska Native

Asian / Pac. Islander

Black

Not Provided/ Unknown

White (incl. Hispanic origin)

Theft

2C:20-7

RECEIVE STOLEN PROPERTY

3

1

2

Theft

2C:20-7.1A

FENCING-VALUE LESS THAN $200

57

5

49

Theft

2C:20-7.1B

FENCING - DEALING IN STOLEN PROPERTY

41

8

51

Theft

2C:20-7.1B(1)

FENCING-DEALING IN STOLEN PROP VALUE $500-$74999

1

73

3

74

Theft

2C:20-7A

RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY-KNOWING PROP IS STOLEN

7

73

3,924

298

2,859

 

Note: The data originates from the arrests of adults (at time of offense) for at least one indictable offense where the individual was Live Scanned.[6] Information includes only events with an arrest date in 2022, 2023, or quarter one of 2024.  Only non-expunged charges are included. This information is accessible publicly by county at www.njoag.gov/justicedata. That dashboard allows users to view unique defendants, arrest events, and charges by county and outcome.

        Specifications on race categorizations from the Federal Office of Management and Budget did not include a category of Hispanic ethnicity until recently decided revisions, which will be implemented by 2029. New Jersey courts began providing space on the complaint document to capture Hispanic ethnicity in December 2021. However, the ethnicity field lacks a consistent procedure for collection and may conflict from one arrest to another for the same defendant.

 

 

Convictions by Race – 2022, 2023, Q1 2024

Offense Category

Statute Code

STATUTE DESCRIPTION

Guilty Convict

Am. Indian / Alaska Native

Asian / Pac. Islander

Black

Not Provided/ Unknown

White (incl. Hispanic origin)

Theft

2C:20-7.1A

FENCING-VALUE LESS THAN $200

Y

10

8

Theft

2C:20-7.1B

FENCING - DEALING IN STOLEN PROPERTY

Y

3

Theft

2C:20-7.1B(1)

FENCING-DEALING IN STOLEN PROP VALUE $500-$74999

Y

3

2

Theft

2C:20-7A

RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY-KNOWING PROP IS STOLEN

Y

4

444

34

336

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      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

E`dna 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 following data was provided, as a part of the submission, from the Judiciary:

 


 

 

 

COUNTY

 

NUMBER CHARGED

FENCING STATUTE 2C:20-7

DEGREE 2

DEGREE 3

DEGREE 4

 

Asian

 

Black/ Africa Am

 

Hispanic

 

Amer Ind/ Alsk Nativ

 

Nat Haw/ Pacfic Is

 

Unkwn

 

White

 

Missing

 

Asian

 

Black/ Africa Am

 

Hispanic

 

Amer Ind/ Alsk Nativ

 

Nat Haw/ Pacfic Is

 

Unkwn

 

White

 

Missing

 

Asian

 

Black/ Africa Am

 

Hispanic

 

Amer Ind/ Alsk Nativ

 

Nat Haw/ Pacfic Is

 

Unkwn

 

White

 

Missing

A

B

H

I

P

U

W

 

A

B

H

I

P

U

W

 

A

B

H

I

P

U

W

 

ATL

299

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

138

34

0

0

0

91

1

0

21

2

0

0

0

10

0

BER

703

3

18

8

0

0

1

4

0

5

221

248

1

0

5

89

0

2

37

44

1

0

0

16

0

BUR

218

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

88

27

0

0

0

64

0

0

20

2

0

0

0

14

0

CAM

654

0

3

1

0

0

0

3

0

7

334

125

0

0

2

129

0

0

21

16

0

0

0

13

0

CPM

38

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

13

5

0

0

0

18

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

CUM

96

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

27

19

0

0

0

30

0

0

9

4

0

0

0

7

0

ESX

1023

0

69

9

0

0

0

2

0

6

643

132

1

0

1

64

0

1

78

12

0

0

0

5

0

GLO

202

0

1

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

80

17

1

0

0

82

0

0

6

3

0

0

0

10

0

HNT

53

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

22

11

0

0

1

16

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

HUD

437

1

14

11

0

0

0

2

0

8

157

119

4

1

2

31

0

1

42

32

0

0

1

11

0

MER

263

0

8

1

0

0

0

0

0

2

144

47

0

0

1

20

0

0

23

13

0

0

0

4

0

MID

400

0

2

4

0

0

2

4

0

9

155

107

0

0

1

57

0

2

25

21

0

0

0

11

0

MON

228

0

2

0

0

0

0

1

0

3

96

44

0

0

2

45

0

0

22

2

0

0

0

11

0

MRS

123

0

7

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

44

38

0

0

0

21

0

0

6

3

0

0

0

2

0

OCN

114

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

2

31

12

0

0

1

45

0

1

5

2

0

0

0

14

0

PAS

430

0

5

3

0

0

0

3

0

2

129

178

0

0

5

67

0

0

13

17

0

0

0

8

0

SLM

65

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

36

8

0

0

0

10

0

0

4

0

0

0

0

6

0

SOM

48

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

25

9

0

0

0

12

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

0

SSX

18

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

3

3

0

0

0

9

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

0

UNN

377

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

237

69

1

0

0

38

0

0

20

5

0

0

0

0

0

WRN

35

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

13

7

0

0

0

7

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

4

0

Total (STATE)

5824

4

137

37

1

0

3

25

0

51

2636

1259

8

1

21

945

1

7

355

180

1

0

2

150

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: The demographic information for those persons charged with the offenses listed in the charts above covers the time period of January 1, 2022 through June 28, 2024.  The Data Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts was able to compile this information for charges, not convictions, related to the specific offenses requested.  Additional analysis is required for information pertaining to convictions.  Moreover, the Criminal Practice Division noted that in light of the time frame specified in the request, it is quite likely that there will be a very large population of these cases pending on pretrial.  Accordingly, only examining at actual convictions may not capture all of the relevant data.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Count of Clients on Probation in Each Category of Crime/Degree

 

ASIAN

BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN

NAT. HAWAIIAN/OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER

UNKNOWN

WHITE

Ethnicity

Ethnicity

Ethnicity

Ethnicity

Ethnicity

Non-Hispanic

Non-Hispanic

Unknown

Hispanic

Non-Hispanic

Non-Hispanic

Unknown

Hispanic

Non-Hispanic

Unknown

Hispanic

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

Crime

Degree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2C:20-7

2

.

1

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

3

.

26

8

3

.

2

3

1

12

6

3

4

.

3

1

.

.

.

.

.

2

.

3

DP

.

9

2

.

.

1

2

.

2

4

1

Out of state

.

30

10

2

.

.

2

1

10

2

5

Client totals

0

69

21

5

0

3

7

2

26

12

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAMILY COURT JUVENILE DATA FOR CHARGES FILED SINCE January 1, 2022

FENCING 2C:20-7

County

Degree 2

Degree 3

Degree 4

Degree D

Total Charged

Black/Afr

White

Asian

Black/Afr

Hispanic

Not Stated

Other

White

Black/Afr

Hispanic

Not Stated

White

Black/Afr

White

Atlantic

3

0

0

179

2

0

0

18

13

0

0

3

22

2

242

Bergen

6

0

1

54

0

5

1

34

6

1

0

6

6

6

126

Burlington

0

0

1

28

0

1

0

10

1

0

0

1

4

0

46

Camden

0

0

0

144

0

0

0

28

10

0

0

0

8

2

192

Cape May

0

0

0

10

0

0

0

4

0

0

0

0

0

1

15

Cumberland

0

0

0

18

0

0

0

6

1

0

0

1

1

0

27

Essex

106

3

5

684

6

4

0

83

32

0

1

3

16

6

949

Gloucester

1

0

0

16

0

0

0

5

1

0

0

0

4

0

27

Hudson

0

0

2

81

0

1

0

20

3

0

0

0

8

1

116

Hunterdon

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

2

Mercer

0

0

0

87

2

1

0

7

3

0

0

0

9

0

109

Middlesex

6

0

0

70

1

1

1

36

2

0

0

3

7

5

132

Monmouth

4

0

0

64

1

0

0

3

11

0

0

1

17

6

107

Morris

2

0

2

32

0

1

0

9

1

0

0

0

3

3

53

Ocean

1

0

0

24

2

1

0

13

3

0

0

1

3

1

49

Passaic

0

0

0

33

1

0

1

17

5

0

1

4

4

3

69

Salem

0

0

0

18

0

0

0

1

6

0

0

0

1

0

26

Somerset

2

0

0

16

1

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

4

4

29

Sussex

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Union

11

0

2

137

2

0

1

28

6

0

0

2

9

5

203

Warren

0

0

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

1

8

Total

142

3

13

1701

18

15

4

324

104

1

2

25

128

47

2527

 



[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.

[6] The Live Scan process is the automated fingerprint information system that the State Bureau of Identification utilizes as centralized storage for criminal arrest fingerprints.