State v. Rahee Lane (085726) (Essex County & Statewide) (A-17-21; 085726)
The Court construes N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(b)(14) to be prospective, finding in the statutory language no indication that mitigating factor fourteen applies to defendants sentenced prior to the provision’s effective date. The Court views N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(b)(14)’s legislative history to confirm the Legislature’s intent to authorize sentencing courts to consider the new mitigating factor in imposing a sentence on or after the date of the amendment.
