New criminal justice laws in effect Jan. 1, 2025 in states like California, Illinois: What to know
As we shift into 2025, states are enacting new legislation to tackle crime reduction and criminal justice policy, but not every law comes from the same school of thought.
The pandemic brought a spike in violent crime, which experts believe was largely brought about by the upheaval of everyday life. National crime rates are hard to pin down, but multiple sources agree it has been falling back to pre-pandemic levels.
Over the last two years, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have moved to pass "tough-on-crime" legislation. In some cases, new laws were passed by voters themselves. It appears to be the end of a long period of criminal justice reform that started when prison populations in the U.S. reached global highs in 2007.
Laws going into effect in January continue that trend with harsher sentencing guidelines, despite general agreement that more severe punishment does not deter crime. At the same time, some new laws continue to reform outcomes for formerly incarcerated people.
"The picture is mixed, not everything is moving in the harsher direction," Adam Gelb, CEO of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice, told Paste BN in an interview. "You see these cross currents where people want to send this message that we're going to deal with you more harshly, while at the same time....when you're out, we want to help you succeed."
Here is a look at some criminal justice laws going into effect on Jan. 1 around the U.S.:
California to allow harsher penalties by 'smash-and-grab' law, Prop. 36, going into effect
Retailers across the country have raised alarm bells about losing inventory due to organized crime over the last couple of years, even if the exact amount has been difficult to pin down. One group pleaded guilty in 2024 to charges related to taking goods worth $1.7 million throughout Southern California in 2023.
In 2023, the state announced it would invest more than $267 million in law enforcement to help tackle the issue. Lawmakers also convened an Assembly Select Committee on Retail Theft.
Assembly Bill 1960, going into effect Jan. 1, 2025, mandates courts to impose an enhanced sentence when suspects take, damage or destroy property valued over $50,000.
“California already has some of the strictest retail and property crime laws in the nation − and we have made them even stronger with our recent legislation. We can be tough on crime while also being smart on crime − we don’t need to go back to broken policies of the last century," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "Mass incarceration has been proven ineffective and is not the answer – we need true accountability and strategies that enhance our nation-leading efforts to address crime."
California voters also passed Proposition 36 in the November 2024 election, creating stricter penalties for repeat theft and crimes involving fentanyl, a rollback of progressive sentencing policies passed by voters a decade ago. Prop. 36 went into effect in December 2024, according to local media outlets.
Colorado voters also opted for longer prison time
In the November 2024 election, Coloradoans passed a citizen initiative ballot measure that raised the bar for when someone convicted of a crime becomes eligible for parole.
The new law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, requires people convicted of certain crimes to serve 85% of their sentence to be eligible for parole instead of 75% of their sentence. Also, people convicted of three or more violent crimes would be ineligible for parole, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, part of the Paste BN Network.
At the same time, a law went into effect in August 2024 that limits the amount of time a state regulator can consider an individual's prior criminal conviction when applying for certain professional licenses.
Illinois moves forward with progressive reform policies
Illinois has hundreds of bills taking effect on Jan. 1, 2025, and several are related to law enforcement and the justice process. Here are a few going into effect in the new year:
- SB 3201 requires education for law enforcement officers on responding to people with autism
- Amendments to the Illinois Crime Reduction Act of 2009 replace references to "offenders" with "justice-impacted individuals" and specify that the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board should have two members who have participated in the program.
- SB 3463 streamlines the expungement process for juveniles.
Missouri expands expungement
In Missouri, a renewal of a 2012 law on criminal expungement going into effect Jan. 1 will expand to allow a person to increase the number of expungements sought.
New Hampshire's bail reform holds some crime suspects longer
After years of political pressure from Republican lawmakers and police unions, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a new compromise bail reform law, HB 318, in August.
The bill makes it so those arrested for certain offenses, like homicide, first-degree assault, or kidnapping, must be held in jail until their arraignment, which must be held within 24 hours of the arrest. This change from the use of bail commissioners makes it harder for those accused of violent crimes to be immediately released before their arraignment. However, the bill also prohibits bail from being set a level higher than a defendant can afford.
Along with other measures, the law also creates the new court positions of magistrates, who will hold arraignment hearings and set pre-trial bail.
The bill, which overhauls the 2018 bail law, has been applauded by some who say it will make New Hampshire safer as well as speed up the arraignment process, while others say it will make it so people who are innocent or not a danger are held in jail longer.
Looking ahead to the 2025 legislative session
In another case of harsher sentences, a Washington law taking effect in the new year allows for greater penalties for those convicted of negligent driving that results in fatalities.
And in Alabama, the "Sound of Freedom Act," which imposes harsher sentences for those convicted of human trafficking when the victim is a minor, went into effect in October.
Gelb said he expects states to continue to work on legislation targeting retail theft, juvenile violence and fentanyl.
The new year will also bring a new administration in D.C., and President-elect Donald Trump has promised tough-on-crime policies throughout his campaign, often railing on liberal cities for being dangerous. In his Agenda47 policy platform, he said he would try to implement stop-and-frisk requirements and has even suggested the death sentence for drug dealers.
Trump will be sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2025.
Contributing: Victor Hagan, Taylor Ardrey, Paste BN
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at Paste BN. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.