A Siena poll last month made explicit what all New Yorkers sense: rising, often unpredictable crime in the Big Apple has residents scared. Around 90% of those surveyed believe crime is a serious problem, while nearly 40% reported worrying more about safety than ever before. In fact, more than a third bought a Taser-like device in the past year — and 17% purchased a gun.
Yet in this climate of intensifying fear, the Legislature has passed a bill that — without Gov. Hochul’s veto — will kneecap the very agencies responsible for representing New Yorkers against criminals: district attorneys. The deceptively named “Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act” will create bottomless opportunities for inmates to challenge even rightful convictions, drowning prosecutors in infinite casework, turning courts upside down, and letting criminals who belong in prison walk free.
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Hannah Meyers is director of the policing and public safety initiative at the Manhattan Institute.
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