A 4477 New Jersey General Assembly · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Establishes affirmative defense to prosecution for any crime committed by victim of human trafficking under certain circumstances.

This bill establishes an affirmative defense for individuals who commit crimes as a direct result of being victims of human trafficking. Under the bill, a victim of human trafficking cannot be prosecuted for any crime under New Jersey's criminal code (Title 2C) if two conditions are met: (1) they were a trafficking victim at the time of the alleged crime, and (2) the crime was committed as a direct result of the trafficking. The defense remains available even if there was no conviction for the underlying trafficking offense. This policy change applies to all criminal offenses covered under New Jersey law, including human trafficking, prostitution, and related offenses, aiming to prevent victims from facing criminal charges for acts committed under duress.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jun 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jun 3, 2024 Last action Dec 4, 2025
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Dec 4, 2025
Committee
Reported out of Assembly Committee with Amendments and Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee
lower
Jun 3, 2024
Introduced
Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee
lower
4 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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