WHITE PLAINS – Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. announced on Monday that his office will no longer seek bail in most misdemeanor cases. It is in an effort to promote fairness and end unnecessary incarceration for impoverished defendants.
Scarpino said too often defendants who pose no risk to public safety
are locked up to await trial simply because they cannot afford to post
bail. “This outdated practice is discriminatory and will end here
in the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.”
Scarpino issued a directive on Monday instructing his prosecutors not to request bail for defendants accused of non-violent misdemeanors.
The DA said there may be exceptions to his new guidelines including cases involving a victim like in domestic violence, sex crimes, child abuse, elder abuse and assault cases; cases where the defendant injuries a police officer, firefighter, EMT or other first responders, or violently resists arrest; cases where the defendant has a prior sex crime conviction – felony or misdemeanor; cases where the defendant has a pending felony case, or multiple pending misdemeanor cases; cases where the defendant is on parole, probation, or supervised release; or cases where the defendant has prior bail jumping charges or a history of warrants.
