NEW CITY – Rockland County legislators have gone on record imploring the state to halt or at least amend the new criminal justice reform laws before they take effect on January 1.
Among the provisions of the new law are the elimination of a judge’s discretion to set bail on several crimes; requiring law enforcement and district attorneys to turn over massive amounts of pre-trial materials in 15 days; and mandates that counties create at their expense an agency to monitor defendants released on the new no-bail provisions.
“Many of us agree that criminal justice reform is needed,” said County Legislator Alden Wolfe. “But such changes can only be made after careful research, as well as deep consideration of the implications of the changes. To do otherwise puts all people – and certainly those who are crime victims in jeopardy.”
Wolfe said, “Many of the new laws clearly were not considered with the bigger picture in mind and they need to be amended and in some cases, eliminated completely.”
Wolfe, who is an attorney, along with legislators Michael Grant, Jay Hood, Phil Soskin and Itamar Yeager, have written to Rockland County’s state representatives imploring them to amend or delay the new laws.
Their letter, dated December 12, and sent to Senators David Carlucci and James Skoufis, and Assembly members Kenneth Zebrowski, Ellen Jaffee, Colin Schmitt and Karl Brabenec, requests action through the convening of an emergency session of the state legislature, by an emergency executive order or by any other means deemed possible by the state before December 31, 2019.
“It is hard to believe that despite the public outcry by members of the law enforcement community, district attorneys, and crime victims and their advocates, no changes have been made and no delays have been put in place,” said Yeger, former counsel and chief of appeals for the Rockland County District Attorney’s office. “As written now, these new laws put public safety on the back burner and will clearly do more harm than good.”
Under the new laws, a judge will no longer be able to set bail for certain specific crimes, including several categories of homicide and manslaughter, misdemeanor domestic violence crimes – allowing an alleged perpetrator to quickly return to the place where the victim may live or work; the promotion of an obscene sexual performance by a child; assault on children under age 11; endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly or physically disabled person; aggravated cruelty to animals and more.
People currently in jail on those charges would be eligible for release once the laws kick in on January 1, including those in the Rockland County Jail.
