Bail Reform For Non-Violent Offenders In New York On The Brink of Abolishment

New York was the first state to reform bail laws so that only the most violent offenders had to pay bail in order to be released. Which meant any non-violent offender would be released without paying bail. What could go wrong? It turns out that there is plenty that can/has gone wrong.

Don’t criminals appreciate this second (third, or fourth) chance at turning their lives around? Actually, no.

A six-year-old mentally capable child could have foreseen the tragic outcome. Radicals once again used ordinary people’s bodies to try radical solutions to a seemingly simple problem. For the safety of all, violent criminals and those accused of violent crimes must be imprisoned. End of story.

Now it appears that the social experiment of radicals may be over. New York Governor Kathy Hochul suggested that judges could set bail for repeat offenders as well as people accused of more gun crimes.

Wall Street Journal: New York, if adopted, would be the largest state to reverse its progressive criminal-justice policies. Some of these have been under attack due to a rise in violent crime nationwide.

In February, Democratic New Jersey mayors called for pretrial detention to be required for gun crime suspects. This would tighten a 2017 bail law. In Wisconsin, the Republican-controlled state Assembly passed a constitutional amendment last month that would make it harder for criminal defendants to be released on bail. After a 39-year old man, who was released on bail, allegedly drove his SUV through Waukesha’s downtown Christmas parade and subsequently killed six people, the measure gained momentum.

The criminal justice system does not allow radical ideas to be tested. These systems are built on the simple principle that people should be safe in their own homes and communities from anyone who would cause them harm.

It doesn’t have anything to do with race. There are two kinds of people: some have and some don’t. Some have had it all, while others haven’t. And some have-nots will do whatever it takes to have.

According to New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s analysis, approximately 5% of those who are released before their trial are remanded and 1% are remanded for a violent crime. According to Mr. Lander’s report, the percentages were almost identical after the state law was implemented.

However, high-profile crimes allegedly committed by individuals awaiting trial on additional charges have changed public opinion. The Siena College Research Institute surveyed 56% of New Yorkers this month and found that 56% believed the law was bad. This compares to 38% who stated in 2019 that the law would be worse after it had been enacted.

The 1% who are rearrested for violent crimes is too high. This number is meaningless unless your mother, father or brother, sister, child, or son are the victims. It was easier to get rid of violent criminals when we stop looking at crime that way.