The Legal Aid Society echoed the calls from New York State legislators for the Hochul Administration to lift parole warrants so that people who are detained on technical violations of parole are released immediately and people who are detained on low bail amounts, would have the ability to post bail to fight their case safely at home with their families, networks, and communities, as reported by Spectrum News.

​​According to the New York City Department of Correction (DOC), approximately 164 people are held at Rikers solely on the basis of technical violations of parole. Gov. Hochul should lift their warrants and release them immediately.

672 people remain in the city jails for parole violations and pending criminal matters. Approximately 259 people in this group face weak or low-level criminal charges before judges who would have released these individuals on their own recognizance, but imposed $1 bail solely because of the parole hold.

Moreover, approximately 413 people remain in the city jails for parole violations and pending criminal matters where more than $1 bail was imposed. Lifting parole warrants for this group of New Yorkers as well would allow people who are able to post bail to do so, and give those who cannot afford their bail a fair opportunity to petition a criminal court judge for a hearing to change their bail conditions to ensure their return to court. Doing so would provide hundreds of New Yorkers an opportunity, if the court agreed after a bail hearing, to escape the humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the city jails. If the legislation Governor Hochul signed earlier this month, the Less is More Act, was fully implemented now, all of these New Yorkers would have had an opportunity for such a hearing.

“Governor Hochul has explicit powers that, if exercised today, could help significantly reduce the city jail population,” said Tina Luongo, Attorney-In-Charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “These New Yorkers are detained solely because of New York’s antiquated and draconian parole practices, policies that are very much national outliers. We applaud the Legislature for calling on the Hochul Administration to take this needed action to address the crisis at Rikers. We echo that call.”