Another try planned for N.J. law protecting domestic abuse victims

A New Jersey lawmaker plans to again push for a law to let judges order electronic monitoring of domestic violence offenders — and notify victims when an offender is nearby.

In January, Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed, putting the measure on hold while the state attorney general’s office determined whether the monitoring technology was available.

That report has now been released, stating that technology does exist. But Assemblyman Troy Singleton is upset with a portion of it that cautions a victim could manipulate a GPS device to retaliate against an offender.

“To me, as we mark October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I can think of no more unconscionable thing that one can even say than to blame the victim or use the victim in some way as a scapegoat for the use of this technology,” said Singleton, D-Burlington.

Singleton said he will reintroduce Lisa’s Law in the hope that this time the governor will sign it.

The law is named for a Toms River woman who was murdered by her former fiancé in 2009 a day after he was released from jail for violating a restraining order she had filed against him.