With its spring budget negotiations in a second week of deadlock, the New York State Legislature is reportedly stalled over opposition to Governor Kathy Hochul's only proposed criminal justice reform measure. Faced with a far-left State Senate and Assembly, Hochul seeks only a modest tweak to New York's 2020 bail reform law—one which it seems may now pass in some form. But she and other moderate Democrats are conspicuously not pushing for changes to the 2020 Discovery and 2017 "Raise the Age" laws.
Whether driven by political expedience or sincere ideology, this disappointing budget cycle reveals a troubling trend. New York progressives, uncomfortable with amending the state's criminal justice "triumphs" of the past half-decade—yet under real pressure from working-class business owners and even Al Sharpton speaking for everyday consumers—are advocating for workarounds that are more draconian than the pre-reform laws. Rather than return to the straightforward approach of consistently prosecuting low-level offenses, Democrats are pushing for laws that turn these into more serious crimes—a move that turns the clock back on the compassion we show defendants.
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Hannah Meyers is director of the policing and public safety initiative at the Manhattan Institute.
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