Establishes the crime of forcible touching of a correction officer and increases criminal penalties for certain sexual offenses committed against correction officers

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Addabbo and 1 co-sponsor

Creates a new forcible touching crime targeting correction officers and raises penalties for sexual offenses against them, strengthening safety for officers in custody settings.

REFERRED TO CODES

Overview

Bill Number: S 3517

Title/Purpose (as introduced): Establishes the crime of forcible touching of a correction officer and increases criminal penalties for certain sexual offenses committed against correction officers.

Status: Refatored to the Senate Committee on Codes (REFERRED TO CODES).

Introduced: January 28, 2025.

Version Content: No additional text provided in the summary.

What the bill would do

New offense: Create a specific crime of forcible touching that targets a correction officer.

Enhanced penalties: Increase criminal penalties for certain sexual offenses when the victim is a correction officer. The exact offenses and penalty levels are not specified in the provided information.

Scope: The changes are focused on law enforcement and correctional personnel within the custody and care environment, aiming to strengthen protections for correction officers.

Who and what is affected

Primary beneficiaries: Correction officers and other staff working in correctional facilities who could be victims of forcible touching or sexual offenses.

Potential offenders: Individuals who commit forcible touching or specified sexual offenses against correction officers.

Institutions impacted: Correctional facilities and related enforcement bodies, which would implement and enforce the new offense and enhanced penalties.

Procedural and timeline elements

Current stage: Referred to the Committee on Codes, indicating the bill is at the legislative committee review phase.

Next steps (typical): If advanced, the bill would move to consideration by the full Senate, and then potentially to the Assembly (or a companion bill) for parallel passage. If enacted and signed into law, it would take effect on the date specified in the final bill (not provided in the summary).

Related actions:

Related Senate bills from prior sessions: S 8027, S 5506.
Companion Assembly measure: A 1742 (listed twice as companion).
These relationships suggest ongoing interest and potential cross-chamber alignment between sponsor and companion measures.

Key considerations and potential impacts

Policy rationale: Enhancing protection and penalties for offenses against correction officers to deter targeted assaults and improve safety in correctional environments.

Enrollment and enforcement: Law enforcement, prosecutors, and correctional facilities would need to integrate the new offense and revised penalties into charging decisions, training, and compliance practices.

Limitations of current summary: The exact statutory definitions, the specific penalties (e.g., felony classifications, sentencing ranges), definitions of “correction officer,” and effective date are not provided in the available information. Reading the bill text will be necessary to understand the precise changes, exceptions, and implementation details.

If you want, I can draft a follow-up with a line-by-line provision map once the bill text is available, or compare S 3517 to the related bills (S 8027, S 5506, and A 1742) to highlight similarities and differences.

Bill