New York State attempted bail reform, in an act that stood from January to June 2020. As part of the New York StateFiscal Year Budget for 2019–2020, passed on April 1, 2019, cash bail was eliminated for most misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges, "including stalking, assault without serious injury, burglary, many drug offenses, and even some kinds of arson and robbery." The law went into effect on January 1, 2020. It was largely rolled back in April of that year due to a rise in crime and the reform's subsequent loss of popularity. According to The New York Times, "While New Jersey, California, Illinois and other states have limited the use of bail, New York is one of the few states to abolish bail for many crimes without also giving state judges the discretion to consider whether a person poses a threat to public safety in deciding whether to hold them." There was a surge of opposition from lawmakers, district attorneys, and police chiefs as the date of implementation of the bail reform law neared. New York state judges reportedly started releasing criminal suspects in November 2019 due to the impending law implementation. It is estimated that 25,000 people will be released by the time the law takes effect.
Support
Supporters of the law have "hailed it as a landmark measure to stop the poor from being jailed before trial simply because they had few resources." They say "the new bail system will pay dividends by allowing people awaiting trial to remain in their homes with their families and jobs — all elements of maintaining stability in low-income communities." They say critics of the law are being alarmist.
Opposition and criticism
Prosecutors and law enforcement officials have criticized the law for taking away critical decision-making from judges, who no longer have "the discretion to set a higher bail for people with long arrest records" or have shown "other signs they might commit another crime." They also fear "some defendants released under the new rules will continue to commit crimes, and a few may try to intimidate potential witnesses." Further criticism came after the Monsey Hanukkah stabbing. Additional criticism came from communities impacted by a 2019 spate of attacks in Brooklyn in which a pedestrians wearing identifiably Jewish clothing were assaulted, beaten and often knocked to the ground by an assailant or group of assailants, many of whom shouted antisemitic slurs. One assailant, Tiffany Harris, who was released without bail after attacking a Jewish woman, attacked three other Jewish women the very next day; all of the victims were dressed in distinctively Jewish clothing. This and other attacks raised concerns that the new law puts New Yorkers at risk.
