Lifeline legislation to grant immunity to some underage drinkers

The new law, called “9-1-1: Lifeline Legislation,” is intended to encourage underage drinkers to call for help for their friends by eliminating the fear of punishment. Under New Jersey law, underage drinking or possession of alcohol on public property is punishable by a sentence of up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

The new law grants immunity to up to three people per alcohol-related incident — the person in need of medical attention and as many as two others who report the sickness or help the person in need.

To avoid punishment, however, underage students would have to give their names to the 9-1-1 operator, remain at the scene until medical assistance arrives and cooperate with all medical and law-enforcement personnel who arrive at the scene.

The University’s policy is slightly different, Assistant Vice President for Safety and Administrative Planning Treby Williams said. “It’s difficult to take that and apply it to the practice that we have on campus,” Williams said. “If you have violated the campus code of conduct you can be held responsible for that, but obviously it’s taken into account that you called for help.”

“The only reason that someone hasn’t died on campus yet ... is that people do call for help,” she added.

USG president Connor Diemand-Yauman ’10 praised the lifeline legislation in a May interview.

“This is an encouraging signal that lawmakers and local officials recognize the importance of having these sorts of provisions in place,” he said of the legislation in an interview with The Daily Princetonian in May.

In September 2008, Diemand-Yauman was charged by Borough Police with serving alcohol to a minor after he called Public Safety to help an intoxicated friend. Since taking office, Diemand-Yauman has advocated for a revision of Borough alcohol policies, which he has said do not guarantee sufficient amnesty to students calling for help for underage friends who have been drinking.

“I will do everything I can to ensure that students have no reason to hesitate to make the call and do what we have been told to do since the time we arrived as freshmen,” he said.

At the beginning of this academic year, the USG distributed “alcohol business cards” to every mailbox in Frist Campus Center to provide students with information about alcohol-related interactions with Public Safety and Borough Police.

“In college campuses throughout the country, students choose to indulge in alcoholic drinks that most are not the legal age to consume,” State Sen. John Girgenti (D-Passaic), a sponsor of the 9-1-1 legislation, told The Star-Ledger. “Regardless of the circumstance, the lives of our children should not be compromised by another’s fear of prosecution.”