Will punishing auto theft as a serious crime actually stop auto theft? That issue was debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, as lawmakers considered whether to advance a package of bills that would increase penalties and target those who have been stealing cars. The number of car thefts continues to rise statewide. But some advocates say these thefts are happening because of intense poverty, and want the state to consider alternative intervention methods.
New Jersey has made some big changes in response to the rise in car thefts. The state Attorney General’s office changed its pursuit policy, and the state spent $10 million on license plate readers to try and track down stolen cars.
Three of the bills passed by the Senate were approved by an Assembly committee last week. That hearing turned into a referendum on bail reform, and so did Monday’s hearing, with some critics attributing the rise in car thefts directly to bail reform.
Emily Schwartz , Senior Counsel for the Criminal Justice Reform Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said, “These bills do not consider the root causes of crime. We cannot continue to recycle bad ideas with the same impact of keeping more people in jail.”
