The Legal Aid Society condemned the lack of action from Governor Andrew Cuomo to grant clemency to vulnerable and deserving New Yorkers as COVID-19 infection rates continue to sore throughout the state, as reported by THE CITY.

Despite promises to revamp the process, the Cuomo administration has stalled on its clemency effort – only five commutations were issued this year.

“We were hopeful because we really got the impression that it was going to be done on a large scale and take on over-incarceration,” said Ted Hausman, a supervising attorney at The Legal Aid Society who handles clemency cases. “There are a lot of people who are strong candidates for clemency that the governor has overlooked. He has gotten people’s hopes up.”