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Read. Follow. Verify.New Jersey Bill A582 Imposes Mandatory Minimum Prison Sentences and Residency Restrictions for Criminal Street Gang Recruiters
Last action · January 13, 2026: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary CommitteeSponsors: Gary Schaer and 2 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Assembly Bill 582 upgrades penalties and establishes mandatory minimum prison sentences of 7 to 15 years without parole for individuals convicted of recruiting minors into criminal street gangs. The measure also restricts convicted gang recruiters from residing within 500 feet of schools or playgrounds, working in child-contact jobs, or being hired for such positions.
Convicted gang recruiters face longer prison terms, mandatory parole-ineligible periods, and permanent post-conviction restrictions on where they can live and whether they can hold employment or volunteer roles involving children.
- Bill A582 is introduced in the New Jersey General Assembly during the 2026 legislative session to modify criminal street gang statutes. context
- Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes encompasses the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice, governing offenses, penalties, and criminal liability. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Criminal street gang recruiters
Recruiters face mandatory minimum prison terms, extended sentences, accomplice liability for crimes committed by recruits, and post-conviction residency and employment bans.
Employers and volunteer organizations
Entities are prohibited from knowingly hiring or providing volunteer positions involving child contact to individuals convicted of gang recruitment on school property.
Minors under 18 years of age
Minors receive heightened statutory protections through enhanced penalties and mandatory minimum sentences imposed on individuals who attempt to recruit them into gangs.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mandatory minimum prison sentence for recruiting someone under 14 into a gang?
Are there exceptions to the 500-foot school residency restriction for convicted recruiters?
What defines a job with 'contact with children' under this legislation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Gang Recruitment Liability
The bill expands accomplice liability so that recruiters are directly accountable for any criminal offense committed by a person they solicited or coerced into joining a gang.
Connected Entities
Sources
njleg.state.nj.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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