New Jersey statute

N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8 — Corrupting or influencing a jury

Current through P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22

Part of Chapter 29, New Jersey Statutes.

Criminal charges under this statute

Corrupting or influencing a jury

Full text of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8

Statutory text current through the P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22. This publication reproduces the official text of the New Jersey Statutes from the statute files published by the New Jersey Legislature; it is not the official statutes of the State of New Jersey.

N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8Primary source, current through the P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22

2C:29-8. Corrupting or Influencing a Jury. Any person who, directly or indirectly, corrupts, influences or attempts to corrupt or influence a jury or juror to be more favorable to the one side than to the other by promises, persuasions, entreaties, threats, letters, money, entertainment or other sinister means; or any person who employs any unfair or fraudulent practice, art or contrivance to obtain a verdict, or attempts to instruct a jury or juror beforehand at any place or time, or in any manner or way, except in open court at the trial of the cause, by the strength of the evidence, the arguments of the parties or their counsel, or the opinion or charge of the court is guilty of a crime. a. Corrupting or influencing a jury is a crime of the first degree if the conduct occurs in connection with an official proceeding involving any of the following crimes, as enumerated in subsection d. of section 2 of P.L.1997, c.117 (C.2C:43-7.2), and the actor employs force or threat of force: (1) N.J.S.2C:11-3, murder; (2) N.J.S.2C:11-4, aggravated manslaughter or manslaughter; (3) N.J.S.2C:11-5, reckless vehicular homicide or strict liability vehicular homicide under the provisions of section 1 of P.L.2017, c.165 (C.2C:11-5.3); (4) subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:12-1, aggravated assault; (5) subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.1996, c.14 (C.2C:12-11), disarming a law enforcement officer; (6) N.J.S.2C:13-1, kidnapping; (7) subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:14-2, aggravated sexual assault; (8) subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:14-2 and paragraph (1) of subsection c. of N.J.S.2C:14-2, sexual assault; (9) N.J.S.2C:15-1, robbery; (10) section 1 of P.L.1993, c.221 (C.2C:15-2), carjacking; (11) paragraph (1) of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:17-1, aggravated arson; (12) N.J.S.2C:18-2, burglary; (13) subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:20-5, extortion; (14) subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.1997, c.185 (C.2C:35-4.1), booby traps in manufacturing or distribution facilities; (15) N.J.S.2C:35-9, strict liability for drug induced deaths; (16) section 2 of P.L.2002, c.26 (C.2C:38-2), terrorism; (17) section 3 of P.L.2002, c.26 (C.2C:38-3), producing or possessing chemical weapons, biological agents or nuclear or radiological devices; or (18) N.J.S.2C:41-2, racketeering, when it is a crime of the first degree. b. Corrupting or influencing a jury is a crime of the second degree if the actor employs force or threat of force and the conduct occurs in connection with an action which does not involve any of the crimes enumerated in subsection a. of this section. c. Otherwise, corrupting or influencing a jury is a crime of the third degree, provided, however, that the presumption of nonimprisonment set forth in subsection e. of 2C:44-1 for persons who have not previously been convicted of an offense shall not apply. (added) 1981, c.290, s.33; amended 1986, c.140; 2009, c.169; 2017, c.165, s.8.

Official sources

justia: N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

What degree of offense is corrupting or influencing a jury in New Jersey?

It depends on the circumstances: corrupting or influencing a jury ranges from a crime of the third degree to a crime of the first degree in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8.

Force/threat in connection with enumerated violent crimes: crime of the first degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8) · Force/threat not involving enumerated crimes: crime of the second degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8) · General/otherwise offense: crime of the third degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8)

Which New Jersey statute covers corrupting or influencing a jury?

Corrupting or influencing a jury is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:29-8 (Corrupting or influencing a jury).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.