READER’S VIEW: Polling backs our push to adjust bail reform law - The Saratogian
Since its passage in 2019, I have pushed back against the bail reform bill.
For three years, the bill has been a political lightning rod. As violent crime rises in all corners of our state, it is time to end the political posturing and work together on this issue. This is not a matter of scoring political points; this is a matter of life and death for innocent New Yorkers. In a recent Siena College poll, 91% of participants said crime was a ‘very serious’ or ‘somewhat serious’ problem. The issue of rising crime in our state has overtaken COVID-19 as the top concern for New Yorkers.
We can do better; we must do better.
Sixty-five percent of respondents said the bail reform law needs adjustment. We can start by restoring judicial discretion. Our New York judges are highly qualified and have been stripped of one of their most important duties to their communities: assessing the risk of flight posed by an individual. Also, allowing judges to assess danger before granting bail to an individual would add an extra layer of protection between violent offenders and the community.
Without this measure, there is a revolving door in our criminal justice system in which one person can rack up dozens of arrests but still be released. Just last month a man robbed the same store in New York City twice in the same day. This offender held the store clerk at knifepoint, but due to bail reform and lack of respect for rule of law, he was in the clear to do it all over again just hours later.
I commend the new Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, who publicly stated his problems with the bail reform law as currently written. New York City has become a hotbed of violent crime and it is an unfortunate trend among all cities across the state. Even if the bill had the best of intentions, it is time to face the fact that it has had devastating consequences. People no longer feel safe in their communities, which is not sustainable for the future success of our state.
Put polling and politicians aside, the real-world stories of violent crime and murders should be more than enough to push the needle of change. Last week, we saw the senseless and tragic murder of New York City resident Christina Yuna Lee. Ms. Lee was followed into her apartment where she was brutally stabbed to death by a man who had a number of prior arrests and charges. This is an example of a life taken too early, sadly one of many who have been killed by repeat violent offenders allowed to walk free in the name of bail reform.
We must have a criminal justice system that prioritizes victims and their families over their offenders.
Last month, we watched the heart-wrenching eulogy delivered by the widow of slain NYPD officer Jason Rivera. Rivera and his partner, Wilbert Mora, were murdered by a career criminal as they were responding to a domestic violence call. At the funeral, Rivera’s widow delivered this message: “This system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even members of the service.”
Thousands of our men and women in blue flocked to the city to show their support for Rivera and Mora and send a clear message to Albany that we must act.
I urge my colleagues in the Majority to put themselves in the shoes of these victims and the family members they leave behind. I stand ready to work with them to adjust bail reform, restore judicial discretion, re-instill confidence within our law enforcement community, while also ensuring that they are appropriately funded. New Yorkers deserve their sense of safety back.
With questions on this or any other legislative issue, please feel free to reach out to my office at [email protected] or (518) 884-8010.
Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh represents the 112th Assembly District, which consists of parts of Saratoga and Schenectady counties.
source: https://www.saratogian.com/2022/03/06/readers-view-polling-backs-our-push-to-adjust-bail-reform-law
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