Impact of the No Early Release Act (NERA) on Prosecution and Sentencing in New Jersey, 1996-2000
Description
This study examined New Jersey's No Early Release Act
(NERA), which became effective in 1997. NERA required that offenders
convicted of violent crimes serve at least 85 percent of their
sentences before becoming eligible for parole. This study's primary
goal was to determine whether prosecutors changed their charging and
plea bargaining practices in order to obtain sentences under NERA that
were roughly equivalent to those imposed before NERA. Data were
obtained from the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts for
1996 to May 2000. These data included every case in which a crime
covered by the No Early Release Act was charged and, for comparison,
every case involving a burglary charge, a charge not covered by
NERA. These data cover defendants' progress through the New Jersey
court system, including the initial charge, indictment, and
sentencing.
Resources
| Name |
Format |
Description |
Link |
|
0 |
ICPSR04178.v1 |
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04178.v1 |
Tags
- plea-bargains
- mandatory-sentences
- prosecuting-attorneys
- sentencing-reforms
- disposition-legal