ALBANY – State Senator James Skoufis (D, Woodbury) supports the concept of the bail reforms that have been enacted to level the field with those suspects who can afford to post bail and those who cannot and must remain in jail pending their court adjudication.
In the few days since the reforms took effect, Skoufis has found fault with release without bail for alleged offenders including many of those charged with committing serious crimes.
The lawmaker said while the system has an obligation to equal treatment for all accused, its responsibility goes even further. “We also have an obligation to the public safety and the first week of these bail reforms have demonstrated an essential need to allow judges to consider a defendant’s ‘dangerousness’ when looking to and considering pre-trial detention,” he said.
Skoufis also said electronic monitoring should be implemented for serious crime and he said the state said it was “malpractice” for the state to advance its criminal justice reforms without funding to police departments and counties required to comply with them.
Senator Susan Serino (R, Hyde Park), also supports the need for a “seriousness” provision added to bail consideration.
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, president of the state DA’s association, lauded the proposed “reasonable changes to the existing, flawed bail reform law.”
