SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4586

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 15, 2025

      The Senate Judiciary Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 4586.

     As amended, this bill provides trauma-informed reentry support services to certain defendants who were victims of domestic violence or abuse at the time the crime was committed, and for whom the domestic violence or abuse was a contributing factor in the commission of the crime.

      The provisions of the bill are tied to the provisions of Senate Bill No. 4870 of this Legislative Session (S4870), which establish a new mitigating factor, reduced sentencing, and resentencing for certain defendants who were victims of domestic violence or abuse at the time the crime was committed, if the domestic violence or abuse was a contributing factor in the commission of the crime.  Under this bill, an individual who is sentenced, resentenced, or released under the provisions of S4870 is eligible to receive trauma-informed reentry support services.  These services are required to include access to mental health counseling, peer recovery support, vocational training, and housing assistance. 

      The Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Office of the Public Defender, is directed to develop and disseminate implementation guidelines for trauma-informed reentry support programs that serve individuals sentenced, released, or resentenced under the companion bill, S4870.  The Department of Corrections is directed to establish a grant program to assist trauma-informed reentry support services programs in providing mental health services and expanding the pipeline of trained trauma-informed service providers.

      The committee amendments to the bill:

      - rework the bill so that it only addresses trauma-informed reentry support services for certain defendants who were victims of domestic violence or abuse at the time the crime was committed, and for whom the domestic violence or abuse was a contributing factor in the commission of the crime; the bill no longer addresses any other aspects of such defendants’ interactions with the criminal justice system concerning sentencing or resentencing for the crime(s) committed by such defendants, as these issues are addressed by a companion bill, Senate Bill No. 4870 (S4870) (see below);

      - require the Department of Corrections, rather than the Administrative Office of the Courts, to issue a report to the Legislature and the Governor concerning the use of grant funds awarded under the bill to assist trauma-informed reentry support services programs and expand the pipeline of trained trauma-informed service providers;

      - define the terms “trauma-informed reentry service provider,” which as introduced this term was referred to as a “community-based mental health service provider”; and “trauma-involved reentry survivor”; and

      - provide that the provisions of the bill will become effective on the same effective date as that of S4870, which creates a new mitigating factor for certain defendants, grants the court certain sentencing discretion, and provides for the resentencing of certain defendants who were also victims of domestic violence or other forms of abuse.