Statement from NYS Senator Daphne Jordan (R,C,I- Halfmoon) on Bail Reform:
April 8, 2022
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ISSUE:
- 2022-2023 Budget
- bail reform
- bail reform; criminal justice; discovery; law enforcement; public safety
Bail reform has been an unmitigated public safety disaster for New York State. The State Budget’s ‘fix’ to bail reform amounts to little more than window dressing and does little of consequence to address the serious public safety threat of rising violent crime. Numerous, serious crimes such as assault in the third degree, domestic violence offenses, driving drunk and causing serious injury, failure to register as a sex offender, killing a police K-9 or horse, and unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds are still not bail eligible. Equally important, judges still do not have discretion to consider danger, meaning tonight’s ‘fix’ is anything but. If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle were serious about public safety then they would have repealed this broken law and started over, seeking the input of our Sheriffs, Chiefs of Police, PBAs, District Attorneys, and crime victims. That’s the true fix that New Yorkers want and deserve so they can be safe once again.