Other Steps, Along With Bail Reform, Would Make for Safer Communities
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
A recent Examiner column called for rolling back New York’s bail reform law. Dead wrong on this issue, these individuals are shamefully stoking public fear with the false claim that reform is a “threat to your safety.”
Research shows that pretrial incarceration increases the likelihood of future arrests and undermines the health and safety of individuals, families and their communities. Our communities deserve true solutions to safety, including investments in violence prevention, affordable and permanent supportive housing and access to jobs and economic opportunity. Jailing more New Yorkers without a trial is not a solution. We already know what unchecked judicial discretion looks like: the mass incarceration of New Yorkers of color.
The state legislature was informed by evidence when it created bail reform in 2019; now, it must go further to focus on real solutions for community safety and to reject calls from uninformed politicians who create unnecessary public alarm.
Renee Fogarty
Yorktown
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