New York’s latest criminal justice reform plan will release suspects accused of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, child sex crimes, and making threats of terrorism without ever having to post bail.
The state’s series of bail reforms, set to go into effect January 2020, will ensure that suspects accused of crimes deemed “non-violent” are not jailed before their trial dates and do not have to post bail.
The list of crimes where suspects will be freed from prison before trial includes:
- Second-degree manslaughter
- Aggravated vehicular assault
- Third-degree assault
- Promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child
- Possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child
- Promoting a sexual performance by a child
- Failure to register as a sex offender
- Making terroristic threats
- Criminally negligent homicide
- Aggravated vehicular homicide
In one recent case, a suspect in Warren County, New York, was charged with second-degree manslaughter after he allegedly killed a bystander while leading police on a high-speed chase. Though the suspect is currently behind bars awaiting trial, he will be released in January when the new bail laws go into effect.
Another case last week saw an accused drug dealer — who allegedly caused the death of a man who overdosed on drugs sold to him by the dealer’s crew — publicly thanking Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for signing the jailbreak legislation, the New York Daily News reported.
“Cuomo for president!” the accused drug dealer shouted in Spanish.
Law enforcement officials have warned that if Cuomo doesn’t block the jailbreak laws from taking effect, police across the state will be left continuously re-arresting accused criminals and having to find suspects who fail to show up to their court dates.
“I’ve read social media posts, I’ve read editorials in newspapers who believe the new reforms are not that bad, because they only apply to non-serious crimes,” State Senator Pam Helming (R) said last week during a press conference with law enforcement officials. Helming continued:
I challenge anyone who has this view to look at this list of crimes, to read the legislation and tell me that you believe that manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, and rape in the third degree are minor offenses. Tell me, how is promoting obscene sexual performances by a child a minor offense? How is that? How about arson in the third and fourth degrees, selling controlled substances near our schools? Making terrorist threats or committing burglary and robbery in the second degree?
Across the county, jailbreak legislation is helping to free thousands of accused and convicted criminals from prison. Federally, the First Step Act that was signed into law by President Trump has thus far freed about 240 sex offenders, nearly 60 convicted murderers and assailants, as well as almost 1,000 inmates convicted of drug crimes.
Also freed by the First Step Act is Joel Francisco, a notorious former leader of the “Latin Kings” gang who immediately returned to a life of drugs after his release and is now accused of murder.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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