Groups worry new law will land more New Yorkers behind bars
4 years, 5 months ago

Groups worry new law will land more New Yorkers behind bars

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new state law in New York allows judges to set bail for more criminal charges than originally allowed under a sweeping 2019 reform that largely did away with cash bail for many people awaiting trial. But when the law went into effect in January, law enforcement agencies across New York raised alarm about public safety as the state’s jails and prisons began releasing individuals awaiting trial. New York City saw 40% fewer people behind bars from April 2019 to March 2020 — a drop of close to 2,000 people, according to the Center for Court Innovation’s May report on the bail law. “New York is the least incarcerative and safest large state in the nation and the Governor closed more prisons than any governor in state history, overseeing an unprecedented 37% decline in the incarcerated population.” As the pandemic peaked in April, his top aide Melissa DeRosa said the change would not take effect for 90 days and would not necessarily “translate into more people” behind bars.

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History of this topic

Editorial: How the court’s bail reform plan could go wrong. How to keep it going right
1 year, 2 months ago

Editorial: How the court’s bail reform plan could go wrong. How to keep it going right

LA Times  

Gotham Bail Bonds and Bad Boys Bail Bonds in Los Angeles, near Men’s Central Jail. A new pretrial protocol eliminates money bail for most people in Los Angeles County between their arrest and their arraignment, beginning Oct. 1, 2023. Instead, people accused of less serious and nonviolent crimes will be cited or booked and released or briefly held while a …

Opinion: As judges, we’ve made thousands of bail decisions. Here’s the truth about detention and public safety
1 year, 3 months ago

Opinion: As judges, we’ve made thousands of bail decisions. Here’s the truth about detention and public safety

LA Times  

Often when judges determine that a person accused of a crime can safely be released from jail and return to court when directed, they face criticism for “letting the accused out” by reducing monetary bail or “allowing” the accused to bail at all. As retired and current California trial court judges with more than 90 years of collective experience, we …

Federal judge to reconsider takeover of New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail
1 year, 6 months ago

Federal judge to reconsider takeover of New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A federal judge is once again weighing a takeover of New York City’s troubled Rikers Island jail complex, describing her faith in its leadership as “shaken” following recent reports of violence, gruesome injuries and a lack of cooperation that has thwarted court oversight. The monitor, Steve Martin, said the city’s jails commissioner also personally lobbied him not …

NY judges will get more power in setting bail, governor says
1 year, 7 months ago

NY judges will get more power in setting bail, governor says

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — Judges in New York will have more discretion to jail people awaiting trial for alleged crimes, Gov. The budget includes policy proposals ranging from a minimum wage hike to allowing more charter schools in New York City. Some lawmakers said Hochul’s proposed changes would undercut the bail reforms approved in 2019 and result in more New Yorkers …

Republican bills push cash bail, subvert Democratic changes
1 year, 9 months ago

Republican bills push cash bail, subvert Democratic changes

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Just two days before he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing six people and injuring more than 60, Darrell Brooks Jr. had posted bail for charges of domestic violence. Their proposals include increasing the number of non-bailable offenses, requiring more people to pay cash bail and encouraging or requiring judges to consider …

Critics expect chaos under Illinois bail ban despite ruling
1 year, 11 months ago

Critics expect chaos under Illinois bail ban despite ruling

Associated Press  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Critics are worried that the elimination of cash bail in Illinois starting Sunday will create chaos after a judge ruled the ban on such unconstitutional but failed to block it from taking effect. House Republicans on Thursday urged Democrats who approved the plan nearly two years ago to halt and fix the so-called Pretrial Fairness Act that’s …

Republicans blame Democrats for rising crime. Here's the complicated truth
2 years, 1 month ago

Republicans blame Democrats for rising crime. Here's the complicated truth

NPR  

Republicans blame Democrats for rising crime. Here's the complicated truth Enlarge this image toggle caption Martin Kaste/NPR Martin Kaste/NPR In New York's race for governor, Long Island Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin has gained ground on incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul by repeating a simple message. "There is a crime emergency right now in New York state," Zeldin declared at a mid-October …

Bring a new Act on bails, Supreme Court tells Centre
2 years, 5 months ago

Bring a new Act on bails, Supreme Court tells Centre

The Hindu  

Asking the Centre to bring a new Act exclusively to simplify and streamline bails, the Supreme Court on Monday observed that investigating agencies are showing a mindset which leans more towards the draconian power of arrest rather than the protection of individual liberty. Simple procedure In a series of directions, the court asked the Centre to consider bringing a separate …

GOP lawmakers, Ohio AG, want public safety a factor in bail
2 years, 7 months ago

GOP lawmakers, Ohio AG, want public safety a factor in bail

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Judges in Ohio would be required to consider criminal suspects’ threat to public safety when setting bail amounts under both legislation and a proposal for a state constitutional amendment being advanced by House Republicans. The Supreme Court majority said safety concerns expressed by the victim’s family members, and evidence that the suspect presented a false ID when …

NY bail law fight emblematic of Democrats’ debate on crime
2 years, 8 months ago

NY bail law fight emblematic of Democrats’ debate on crime

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — It’s hard to find anyone on board with New York Gov. The debate over bail in New York is emblematic of a fight taking place elsewhere in the U.S. A spike in violence during the COVID-19 pandemic has Democrats eager to show they’re tough on crime ahead of this year’s midterm elections, from the White House on …

Don’t blame bail reform for higher crime, NYC watchdog says
2 years, 9 months ago

Don’t blame bail reform for higher crime, NYC watchdog says

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Two years ago, New York joined a growing number of states scaling back the use of cash bail for criminal defendants. The report’s release comes as some New York officials have considered rolling back bail reforms, which were enacted as part of an effort to address the inequity of poor people being jailed because they couldn’t afford …

Is NYC safe? Violence, perception and a complicated reality
2 years, 10 months ago

Is NYC safe? Violence, perception and a complicated reality

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A teenage fast-food cashier shot to death in Manhattan. A string of headline-making violence in New York City has frayed nerves and become a rolling trauma for Mayor Eric Adams’ nascent administration. But while January brought tragedy to the city, statistics suggest it is still about as safe or safer than it was a decade ago, when …

New York tosses jail time for most minor parole violations
3 years, 3 months ago

New York tosses jail time for most minor parole violations

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers will be able to avoid jail time for most nonviolent parole violations under a new law signed Friday by Gov. The “Less is More” law largely eliminates New York’s practice of incarcerating people for technical parole violations, including being late to an appointment with a parole officer, missing curfew, or failing to pay fees or …

Federal crackdown aims to curb violent crime spike in NYC
4 years, 2 months ago

Federal crackdown aims to curb violent crime spike in NYC

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn announced Wednesday that he would put a new priority on firearms and drug cases, seeking stiffer penalties than are being doled out at the state level. That would put the city on track to have its highest number of homicides since 2011, after several years of record lows, but would still …

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