MID-HUDSON – The new state criminal justice reforms, including elimination of bail for a host of criminal charges, took effect on new year’s day.
District attorneys and police chiefs across the state have voiced their opposition to the provisions that include no-bail release of suspects, 15-day evidentiary discovery and lack of funding from Albany.
Orange County DA David Hoovler, president of the District Attorney’s Association of New York, said while some reforms are needed, there are concerns about the new law.
“We are seeing how difficult implementation is going to be particularly with the fact that there is no funding that was given to the upstate communities. We don’t have a lot of funding for programs, but we are going to do our best,” he said.
State Senator Jennifer Metzger (D, Rosendale), a member of the majority party, said reforms are needed, but she is going to fight for that funding for local law enforcement.
“We have to make sure that our counties and our towns have the resources to implement those reports. That is really important,” she said.
Hoovler expects some of the provisions of the new law will be tweaked.
Law enforcement has been concerned with the new 15-day discovery provision, but Metzger said that can be expanded to 30 days if need be and by another 30 days if the information is not available before then.
