Bill Text: NJ S994 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires halfway houses to permit attorneys and certain representatives of attorneys to visit incarcerated clients.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-05 - Substituted by A1674 [S994 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S994-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires halfway houses to permit attorneys and certain representatives of attorneys to visit incarcerated clients.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning residential community release programs and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Attorneys who are licensed in any jurisdiction shall be permitted to have contact visits with clients who are incarcerated in a residential community release program. At the request of the attorney, representatives of the attorney shall also be permitted to have contact visits. Such representatives shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) investigators;
(2) investigative aides;
(3) expert witnesses;
(4) paralegals; and
(5) law students.
b. The visits shall take place in the residential community release program facilities upon request of the attorney.
2. The Commissioner of Corrections, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires residential community release programs, also known as halfway houses, to permit attorneys and certain representatives of attorneys to visit clients who are incarcerated in a halfway house. The visits are required to take place in the halfway house facilities upon request of the attorney.
There are currently regulations under Title 10A of the New Jersey Administrative Code concerning attorney-client visits at correctional facilities. The intent of this bill is to clarify that halfway houses are required to allow attorney-client visits at the halfway houses, even though they are private facilities that contract with the Department of Corrections.
