The clause to weaken penalties for official misconduct in New Jersey was added by a powerful Democrat whose girlfriend’s son faces five years in prison.

By Tracey Tully

Dec. 17, 2020

Legislation that would usher in landmark changes to the criminal justice system in New Jersey has been awaiting final action for a year.

The bill stems from an 18-month effort by a bipartisan commission, which scrutinized penalties for various criminal charges and recommended the elimination of lengthy, mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug and property crimes — rigid terms that have left New Jersey with one of the most racially imbalanced prison systems in the country.

But after the Assembly passed the bill in July, a powerful Democratic state senator, Nicholas Sacco, inserted an amendment that would also eliminate certain mandatory sentences for another criminal category: corrupt public officials.

The tweak is already the stuff of Jersey lore: It was added at least in part to help Mr. Sacco’s girlfriend’s son, who was accused of falsifying a timecard at a no-show job and charged with official misconduct. If convicted, he faces a mandatory five-year prison term.

Read the Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/nyregion/nj-mandatory-minimum-public-corruption.html