New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is set to sign into law a bill that toughens penalties for sex offenders who prey on children.
Monday's signing of the "Jessica Lunsford Act" would impose a mandatory 25-year term without parole for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting a child younger than 13.
Prosecutors would be permitted to negotiate a shorter sentence if it's in the best interest of the victim.
The bill is named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and buried alive by a convicted sex offender in 2005. Similar laws around the country are intended to keep child sex offenders locked up longer to reduce their ability to re-offend.
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