Establishes minimum level of domestic violence and sexual assault training for judges and judicial personnel.

A1256

ASSEMBLY, No. 1256

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman MICHAEL INGANAMORT

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Fantasia

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes minimum level of domestic violence and
sexual assault training for judges and judicial personnel.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning domestic violence and sexual assault
training for judges and judicial personnel and amending P.L.1991, c.261.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 4 of P.L.1991,
c.261 (C.2C:25-20) is amended to read as follows:

���� 4.��� a.� (1)� The Division of
Criminal Justice shall develop and approve a training course and curriculum on
the handling, investigation and response procedures concerning reports of
domestic violence and abuse and neglect of the elderly and disabled.� This training
course and curriculum shall be reviewed at least every two years and modified
by the Division of Criminal Justice from time to time as need may require.� The
Division of Criminal Justice shall distribute the curriculum to all local
police agencies.

���� (2)� The Attorney General
shall be responsible for ensuring training as follows:

���� (a)� all law enforcement
officers shall attend initial training within 90 days of appointment or
transfer and annual in-service training of at least four hours as described in
this section.� Once every three years, this in-service training requirement shall
be satisfied through in-person instructor-led training.

���� (b)� all assistant county
prosecutors involved in the handling of domestic violence cases shall attend
initial training within 90 days of appointment or transfer and annual
in-service training of at least four hours as described in this section.

���� b.��� (1)������ The
Administrative Director of the Courts shall develop and approve a training
course
consisting of at least three hours
and a curriculum
therefor,

for all municipal court judges, Superior Court judges responsible for the
adjudication of domestic violence matters, and judicial personnel involved with
the intake and processing of domestic violence complaints
and allegations of
sexual offenses outside of the domestic violence context.� The training shall
consist of at least 1.5 hours devoted to issues impacting sexual violence, such
as the dynamics of sexual violence, the impact of sexual violence on survivors
and families, sexual violence risk factors and lethality, the impact of
sexually violent crime on society, and the statutory and case law concerning
sexual offenses
.� All judges and judicial personnel identified in this
section shall participate in core training regarding issues such as the
dynamics of domestic violence, the impact of domestic violence on children,
trauma-informed danger assessments, batterer intervention programs, and
domestic violence risk factors and lethality.� In addition, municipal court
judges shall receive specific training related to the issuance of temporary
restraining orders in emergent situations. Superior Court judges responsible
for the adjudication of domestic violence matters shall receive supplemental
training related to the issuance and enforcement of temporary and final
restraining orders, including factors considered when determining if a final
restraining order should be issued, child custody and parenting plans, the
setting of child support, distribution of property and ongoing housing
expenses, and counseling. The core curriculum and individualized training
programs shall be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the
Administrative Director of the Courts from time to time as need may require.

���� (2)� The Administrative
Director of the Courts shall be responsible for ensuring that all municipal
court judges, Superior Court judges responsible for the adjudication of
domestic violence matters, and judicial personnel involved with the intake and
processing of domestic violence complaints attend initial training within 90
days of appointment or transfer and annual in-service training as described in
this section.

���� (3)� The Attorney General and
the Administrative Director of the Courts shall provide that all training on
the handling of domestic violence matters required under this subsection shall
include information concerning the impact of domestic violence on society, and
include topics regarding the dynamics of domestic violence, the impact of
domestic violence on children, the impact of trauma on survivors, risks for
lethality in domestic violence cases, safety planning and services for
survivors of domestic violence, the impact of racial bias and discrimination on
survivors and marginalized communities, the statutory and case law concerning
domestic violence, the necessary elements of a protection order, the guidelines
regarding when domestic violence incidents trigger mandatory or discretionary
arrest, policies and procedures as promulgated or ordered by the Attorney
General or the Supreme Court, and the use of available community resources,
support services, available sanctions and treatment options.

���� c.��� Law enforcement agencies
shall: (1) establish domestic crisis teams or participate in established
domestic crisis teams, and (2) shall train individual officers in methods of
dealing with domestic violence and neglect and abuse of the elderly and disabled.�
The teams may include social workers, clergy or other persons trained in
counseling, crisis intervention or in the treatment of domestic violence and
neglect and abuse of the elderly and disabled victims.

(cf: P.L.2021, c.377)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill amends the existing
statutory requirement concerning domestic violence training for judges and
judicial personnel.� Presently, while section 4 of P.L. 1991, c.261
(C.2C:25-20) requires all judges and judicial personnel to receive some initial
and annual training, no minimum amount of training is required by statute.�

���� Although the Supreme Court
provides and requires a substantial amount of domestic violence training for
Judges of the Superior Court, Family Division, judges at the municipal court
level hearing domestic violence cases have no minimum hours of training requirement.

���� This bill directs the
Administrative Office of the Courts to develop and approve a domestic violence
and sexual assault training course and a curriculum, with the training course
consisting of at least three hours, for all municipal court judges, Superior
Court judges responsible for the adjudication of domestic violence matters, and
judicial personnel involved with the intake and processing of domestic violence
complaints on the handling, investigation and response procedures concerning
allegations of domestic violence and allegations of sexual offenses outside of the
domestic violence context.� This will ensure that judges and judicial personnel
at all levels, including at the municipal court level, receive at least this
level of training.� The training shall consist of at least 1.5 hours devoted to
issues impacting sexual violence, such as the dynamics of sexual violence, the
impact of sexual violence on survivors and families, sexual violence risk
factors and lethality, the impact of sexually violent crime on society, and the
statutory and case law concerning sexual offenses.