Sen. Mannion: New bail change will improve public safety (Your Letters)
Originally published in
Syracuse.com
To the Editor:
We are taking a new and better approach to public safety in New York state.
Recent changes to state law that I strongly support will help keep dangerous and repeat offenders behind bars and out of our communities. It is the correct balance of improving public safety with continuing toward our goal of ending racial disparity in the criminal justice system and across society.
Judges across the state will now have reasonable discretion when setting bail. This common-sense reform removes the “least restrictive means” standard, clarifying the law and expanding the circumstances where a judge could opt to remand or set bail.
To understand criminal justice reform in New York requires acknowledging the state’s long history of applying the law unevenly.
In 2019, years before I was elected, the legislature and the governor undertook a noble effort to reform bail in the state of New York. The scales of justice were uneven. Poverty was criminalized and we had an unfair and un-American two-tiered justice system — one for people with means, and another far harsher one, for those without.
The result was a law that eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. Cashless bail, least restrictive means and raise the age became part of the lexicon. While well-intentioned, I believe these efforts went too far.
Since taking office in 2021, I have voted repeatedly to strengthen our criminal justice laws.
The issue of bail reform has been rife with misinformation and used as a scare tactic. But as a lifelong Central New Yorker I know that we all want the same thing: to live in safe and just communities.
These new changes respect the historical context in which bail reform was enacted, while also ensuring that our criminal justice system is fair.
I am confident that this is the right path forward for New Yorkers and it will help make our communities safer for everyone.
Sen. John W. Mannion
50th Senate District — New York state Legislature
Geddes