Proposed New Jersey bill requires guilty plea from accused before non-jail programs can be considered

Submitted by Mastodon on Fri, 2014-12-26 12:04

Article here. Excerpt:

'The bill would remove the presumption of non-imprisonment for first-time offenders, meaning incarceration would be a viable punishment. Under current law, pretrial intervention (PTI) is the usual route.

“It essentially puts a little more heat on the defendant,” said Assemblyman Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus), a co-sponsor of the measure. “Oftentimes, the punishment does not fit the crime.”

The measure would also allow the domestic violence victim to have more of a say on whether or not their accused attacker should enter PTI. Plus, a defendant would be required to enter a guilty plea before PTI consideration. With that clause, Lagana said, a defendant can be sentenced to prison immediately following any type of PTI violation.

“People should not get a free pass,” he said. “If you’re going to act a certain way, then society’s going to hold you accountable.”'

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Comments

The charge is sufficient, notice. Mr. Laguna is talking very much like he believes such is the case. To get anything other than jail without even being tried, the suspect must plea guilty. Does that sound like presumed innocence? After all, he can be pretty sure that he'll be found guilty even upon an accusation. Heads he loses, tails he loses. He can let himself be hung by confession or hung by presumed guilt. I have no doubt if the state could find a way to make money off it and get away with it, death by hanging after an allegation of any offense against a woman done by a man would be S.O.P.

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Submitted by Matt on Fri, 2014-12-26 21:36