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Why Abolishing Bail for Some Crimes Has Law Enforcement on Edge. Democrats are hailing the new law, saying New York’s old bail system punished the poor. Critics say it will put criminals back on the streets.
New York Times ^ | December 31, 2019 | Jesse McKinley, Alan Feuer and Luis Ferré-Sadurní

Posted on 12/31/2019 5:43:45 PM PST by karpov

When Democrats pushed through a law last spring that sharply curtailed cash bail for nonviolent defendants, they hailed it as a landmark measure to stop the poor from being jailed before trial simply because they had few resources.

Now, as the rules take effect on Jan. 1, a backlash has arisen among numerous district attorneys, judges, county legislators and law enforcement officials, who are sounding alarms and raising the specter of dangerous criminals on the loose. Some Republicans are using the issue to paint Democrats as soft on crime.

“Estimates of what’s going to happen have ranged from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ to something like the panic in the opening scene in ‘Escape from New York,’” said Greg Berman, the director of the Center of Court Innovation, a nonprofit group. “There are still a lot of unknowns.”

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.

That decision has many prosecutors and police officials worried the changes will have unintended consequences.

“When you have individuals that are standing before a judge and immediately being released, and essentially everyone in the room knows that this person is a danger to the community, I think we need to look at the system and make sure that judges can make common-sense decisions,” the New York City police commissioner, Dermot F. Shea, said in a radio interview on 1010 WINS in early December.

Under the new law, judges will no longer be able to set bail for a long list of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, including stalking, assault without serious injury,

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: New York
KEYWORDS: bail; crime; newyork; ny
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Lots of NYC residents are not happy with the change, judging from the NYT comments section.
1 posted on 12/31/2019 5:43:45 PM PST by karpov
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To: karpov

Democrats are Criminals and just helping their own


2 posted on 12/31/2019 5:45:53 PM PST by butlerweave
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To: karpov

They voted for it.

So suck it up.

L


3 posted on 12/31/2019 5:47:10 PM PST by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: karpov

CA is implementing or has implemented this.


4 posted on 12/31/2019 5:47:48 PM PST by rey
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To: karpov

This is not new. Some cities started doing this fifty five years ago, releasing criminals on their own recognizance.

Crime shot up, and the city fathers could not understand why.


5 posted on 12/31/2019 5:48:30 PM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: karpov
Some Republicans are using the issue to paint Democrats as soft on crime.

Now why in the world would they do that?

6 posted on 12/31/2019 5:48:53 PM PST by 17th Miss Regt
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To: karpov

The real criminals are in the ny city government.

JoMa


7 posted on 12/31/2019 5:49:45 PM PST by joma89 (Buy weapons and ammo, folks.)
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To: karpov

i agree bail punishes the poor, and should be abolished. but those that are arrested for violent crimes should be jailed til trial.


8 posted on 12/31/2019 5:52:39 PM PST by SendShaqtoIraq
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To: karpov

A few barristers dangling from lampposts are in order about now.


9 posted on 12/31/2019 5:56:45 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats only believe in democracy when they win the election.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

If the poor would get off their asses and do honest work, they could pay a bondsman for bail


10 posted on 12/31/2019 5:59:30 PM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)
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To: karpov

What I do not understand is people who put up bail and delay a trial forever just to plead guilty and be sent to jail for a short duration.


11 posted on 12/31/2019 6:01:31 PM PST by LukeL
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To: karpov

Poor people don’t need to commit crimes these days with our support system. They should be equal to anyone else in bail responsibilities.

The govt would rather save the jailing costs and let the criminals hurt more people.


12 posted on 12/31/2019 6:09:26 PM PST by SaxxonWoods (Epstein (Mr. T hree Orgasms required daily) did a David Carradine.)
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To: All

Cops are gonna get frustrated and will start slow-walking. Crime will explode. Don’t be in the way...


13 posted on 12/31/2019 6:14:05 PM PST by rockrr ( Everything is different now...)
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To: rockrr

Cops won’t care. They get paid every two weeks. They will be more than happy to spend their time drinking coffee, eating donuts, and mooching hamburgers.


14 posted on 12/31/2019 6:21:01 PM PST by sport
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To: SendShaqtoIraq

> bail punishes the poor, and should be abolished <

Not if it’s done right. Tie the bail amount to the person’s income, or to his net worth. A millionaire gets a DUI, set his bail at $100,000. A store clerk gets a DUI, set his bail at $1000.

The tricky part would be setting bail for a homeless person.


15 posted on 12/31/2019 6:23:05 PM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: LukeL

“What I do not understand is people who put up bail and delay a trial forever just to plead guilty and be sent to jail for a short duration.”

Delay trial as long as possible.

Witnesses forget, move away, go to prison or die.

Wait it out as long as possible.


16 posted on 12/31/2019 6:24:09 PM PST by Meatspace
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To: karpov

Let’s be nice to the “poor,” to hell with the safety of the honest folks.

The reasons for Bail are many including safety of the public. Ensuring that the accused does go to trial is not the prime reason for bail. I am certainly a critic!


17 posted on 12/31/2019 6:29:55 PM PST by BatGuano (Ya don't think I'd go into combat with loose change in my pocket, do Ya?)
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To: karpov

18 posted on 12/31/2019 6:32:30 PM PST by RightGeek (FUBO and the donkey you rode in on)
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To: Leaning Right

Bottle of ripple then!


19 posted on 12/31/2019 6:34:11 PM PST by Reily
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To: karpov

Somebody has said, the issue isn’t the issue, the issue is the Revolution.

Just another piece of the puzzle to dismantle our great country.


20 posted on 12/31/2019 6:37:04 PM PST by Rj Snows (Some years back Sacramento area used to be the capital of tomatoes)
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