Legal Aid Society

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LAS Condemns Governor Hochul's Bail Reform Rollbacks

The Legal Aid Society, together with New York City’s other public defender organizations, is decrying rollbacks to bail reform made as part of this year’s State budget agreement, as reported by Patch.

“The Governor’s decision to roll back bail reform, despite evidence proving its success, will inevitably put more Black and brown New Yorkers behind bars, separate countless families, and deepen systemic racism already embedded in the legal system,” reads a statement from the defenders. “No New Yorker should lose their pretrial freedom because they cannot afford to pay bail.”

“Instead of putting forth solutions that would get to the heart of public safety for all New Yorkers, Governor Hochul’s last-minute insertion of regressive policy into the State budget is simply a political move that plays into the hands of those who have embarked on a campaign of disinformation with undeniable racist overtones,” the statement continues. “New Yorkers deserved an informed and transparent debate about public safety. They did not get one.”