Assemblyman Peter Lawrence (R,C,I-Greece) (pictured at podium) today joined law-enforcement professionals, local prosecutors and members of the Assembly Minority Conference to call for an immediate repeal of recently-enacted criminal justice reforms that put New Yorkers at risk.

At a press conference held today in Rochester, lawmakers expressed serious concerns with the new requirements. The members also discussed their recently issued report, “Criminal Justice Reform: Addressing the Issues with Bail and Discovery Reforms,” which provides an overview of the reforms that were passed in 2019, the perceived problems with the new laws and solutions that should have been considered in a more deliberate process.

Lawrence said the problems with the criminal justice package, which went into effect on January 1, ignore public safety and fly in the face of common-sense criminal procedures.

“The governor and Senate and Assembly Majority has failed the people of New York with the passage of their dangerous criminal justice law,” said Assemblyman Lawrence. “Such drastic changes to the criminal justice system should not be done during budget votes in the dead of night without the input of law enforcement and those who are directly affected. We need to repeal the cash bail changes and rewrite it as a standalone bill that is properly debated and voted on the floor. We need to hold hearings with community leaders, law-enforcement officials and district attorneys so we have the input we need to effectively implement change. What we have right now is essentially ‘catch and release’ of criminals and it’s putting our communities at risk every day. I am calling on the governor and state Majorities to make it right, we owe this to the people of New York.”

The reforms were portrayed as a way to improve bail procedures for low-level, non-violent offenders. In reality, they have literally turned into a get-out-of-jail-free card for dangerous individuals.

“In the state of New York, we changed the adage from ‘crime doesn’t pay’ to ‘crime does pay,” said Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia). “We are losing businesses and citizens at an alarming rate, including 77,000 residents last year and a million in the last decade. How many more reasons do we need to give New Yorkers to leave? We need to repeal this law immediately. Let’s stop coddling criminals.”

For months prior to the implementation, law-enforcement professionals, judges, district attorneys and members of the Assembly Minority warned state officials of the enormous challenges, unintended consequences and public safety threats. Unfortunately, those calls now are not merely warning of potential danger, they are urgently seeking immediate action needed to keep people safe.

“I’ve been an advocate for real reform at our state Capitol, including measures to reform and bring transparency to our budget process. The new bail laws are an example of the widespread need to reform how our state budget is put together and is an issue that needs to be addressed before the budget is passed. However, I believe we must take action now to correct the bail laws and restore judicial discretion before more New Yorkers’ lives are impacted,” said Assemblyman Mark Johns (R,C,I,Ref-Webster). “I call on my colleagues to stop playing politics with public safety and take action immediately.”

“We elect our judges because we trust their judgement and discretion. Every case is different. Our judges need to be allowed to make appropriate decisions on bail based upon the facts before them,” said Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes (R,C-Caledonia).

“Every day, we are hearing about new instances, in cities, towns and even small villages in the district I represent, where people are released without bail and go straight back to tormenting their victims or immediately committing other crimes,” said Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I,Ref-Lyons). “They know that even if they are arrested again, they will be released. There are some horrific examples, including a man in my district who continued to threaten to shoot his victim and created so much fear that a school had to be shut down.”

“The District Attorneys Association of the State of New York and I have supported innovative and reasonable criminal justice reform for years,” said Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley. “Unfortunately, the New York state Legislature did not take the views of prosecutors or law enforcement into consideration when they passed this legislation. As law enforcement, it is our responsibility to prioritize public safety. Giving judges discretion to review dangerousness as a consideration for bail, and extending the discovery timeline would promote a safer community while helping to uphold fairness for both defendants and victims in the criminal justice system.”

“We need to add reasonableness to the bail reform law,” said Gates Police Chief James VanBrederode.