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New jersey criminal charge

Bail jumping; default in required appearance in New jersey

Current through 2026 New Jersey legislative session

Bail jumping; default in required appearance is a criminal offense under New jersey law, defined by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7. Its classification is not fixed: New jersey assigns a different penalty class depending on the circumstances of the offense. The class that applies — and the sentencing range that follows from it — depends on which statutory variant fits the facts.

Defined by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7.

What is the penalty for bail jumping; default in required appearance in New jersey?

Penalties for Bail jumping; default in required appearance
PenaltyRangeBasisAuthority
Jail / prison3 years to 5 years (Failure to appear on charge of crime of third degree or greater, with flight or hiding — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge of a crime of the third degree or greater and the defendant took flight or went into hiding to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment.; first-offender presumption of non-incarceration may apply (2C:44-1(e), carve-outs))presumptiveN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Fineup to 15000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on charge of crime of third degree or greater, with flight or hiding — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge of a crime of the third degree or greater and the defendant took flight or went into hiding to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment.; or up to double gain/loss (2C:43-3); offense-specific ceilings may exceed)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Jail / prisonup to 18 months (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on other charge of crime — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge of crime not falling under the third-degree-with-flight scenario.; first-offender presumption of non-incarceration may apply (2C:44-1(e), carve-outs))discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Fineup to 10000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on other charge of crime — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge of crime not falling under the third-degree-with-flight scenario.; or up to double gain/loss (2C:43-3))discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-6
Jail / prisonup to 6 months (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on disorderly persons charge — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge that was itself a disorderly persons offense.; not a crime under the NJ Constitution (2C:1-4); municipal court)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Fineup to 1000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on disorderly persons charge — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge that was itself a disorderly persons offense.)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Jail / prisonup to 30 days (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on petty disorderly persons charge — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge that was itself a petty disorderly persons offense.; not a crime under the NJ Constitution (2C:1-4); municipal court)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Fineup to 500 usd (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on petty disorderly persons charge — Applies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge that was itself a petty disorderly persons offense.)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Jail / prisonup to 6 months (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on other violation of law — Applies when the bail or summons was issued in connection with any other violation of law not otherwise covered.; not a crime under the NJ Constitution (2C:1-4); municipal court)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8
Fineup to 1000 usd (no statutory minimum) (Failure to appear on other violation of law — Applies when the bail or summons was issued in connection with any other violation of law not otherwise covered.)discretionaryN.J.S.A. 2C:43-8

Applies to current.

How is bail jumping; default in required appearance classified in New jersey?

The classification depends on the circumstances:

Classification variants for Bail jumping; default in required appearance
VariantClassificationWhen it appliesStatute
Failure to appear on charge of crime of third degree or greater, with flight or hidingcrime of the third degreeApplies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge of a crime of the third degree or greater and the defendant took flight or went into hiding to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7undefined
Failure to appear on other charge of crimecrime of the fourth degreeApplies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge of crime not falling under the third-degree-with-flight scenario.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7undefined
Failure to appear on disorderly persons chargedisorderly persons offenseApplies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge that was itself a disorderly persons offense.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7undefined
Failure to appear on petty disorderly persons chargepetty disorderly persons offenseApplies when the required appearance was to answer or dispose of a charge that was itself a petty disorderly persons offense.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7undefined
Failure to appear on other violation of lawdisorderly persons offenseApplies when the bail or summons was issued in connection with any other violation of law not otherwise covered.N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7undefined

Common questions about bail jumping; default in required appearance in New jersey

What degree of offense is bail jumping; default in required appearance in New Jersey?

It depends on the circumstances: bail jumping; default in required appearance ranges from a petty disorderly persons offense to a crime of the third degree in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7.

Failure to appear on charge of crime of third degree or greater, with flight or hiding: crime of the third degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7) · Failure to appear on other charge of crime: crime of the fourth degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7) · Failure to appear on disorderly persons charge: disorderly persons offense (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7) · Failure to appear on petty disorderly persons charge: petty disorderly persons offense (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7) · Failure to appear on other violation of law: disorderly persons offense (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7)

What are the penalties for bail jumping; default in required appearance in New Jersey?

Penalties for bail jumping; default in required appearance in New Jersey depend on how it is classified — from a petty disorderly persons offense up to a crime of the third degree — with the ranges set by N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6 and N.J.S.A. 2C:43-8; the full table of ranges by variant is published on this page.

Which New Jersey statute covers bail jumping; default in required appearance?

Bail jumping; default in required appearance is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-7 (Bail jumping; default in required appearance).

Legal terms used in this law

This reference is informational and is not legal advice. Penalty ranges are the statutory classification ranges; sentencing in a specific case depends on its facts and history.