New Hampshire House Committee approves bill to address repeat offenders under 2018 bail reform law - WMUR Manchester
CONCORD, N.H. —
There's a growing bipartisan consensus to address issues with New Hampshire’s 2018 bail reform law, which makes it much easier for criminal defendants to be released pre-trial.
House Bill 1476 received a strong 13-7 vote on Wednesday in the criminal justice committee.
It would require certain repeat offenders to face a judge before being released again.
“We have compromised again and again, and in fact, when this amendment was brought forward one of the complaints was ‘are you watering it down too much?’ and I said we need to pass something, we need to address it,” said Rep. Ross Berry, R-Manchester.
In the past, similar bills perceived as diminishing bail reform faced resistance from Democrats, but that opposition is cracking.
“We have an issue, we have a serious problem. And do I think this is a panacea? No. But you know what, it's a beginning,” said Rep. Mary Heath, D-Manchester.
"It's not a Manchester-only problem. My city of Dover is a small city in a small state and this problem is affecting us, it's affecting our neighbors in Somersworth, it's affecting our neighbors to the north in Rochester,” said Rep. Casey Conley, D-Dover.
Supporters of bail reform continue to dismiss reported negative impacts of the bill involving the release of violent or repeat offenders as just stories or anecdotes.
They point to New York State, where 2% of offenders released under bail reform re-offend.
“I can assume that this is really, basically the same statistics that we're going to be looking at in the state — it seems to be a minor problem,” said Rep. John Bordenet, D-Keene.
New York State is also trying to roll back aspects of bail reform. The same argument is being made in New Hampshire, as New York, that the system has tilted too far in favor of criminal defendants.
"I’d like to hear some of the similar sympathy about the inconvenience of victims who've been hurt by people repeatedly let out on bail,” said Rep. Terry Roy, R-Deerfield.
State senate approves overhaul of bail reform on bipartisan 20-4 vote
source: https://www.wmur.com/article/house-committee-approves-bill-repeat-offenders-2018-bail-reform-law-new-hampshire-3-2-22/39303940
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