JUST IN TIME TO CELEBRATE “VICTIM'S RIGHTS WEEK”
The NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate passed Governor Andrew Cuomo’s “Justice Reform Bills” last week.
Next week is Crime Victim's Rights Week.
How ironic.
I opine that the passage of these Bills represents the most dramatic set back to justice in New York State’s history. Clearly, they do more to risk a crime victim’s safety than any criminal justice laws I have ever reviewed.
Here are a couple of provisions in the “Reform” Bills.
1. A defendant who has committed a crime on your private property now has the right to seek to “inspect the crime scene”. People who commit rape, sexual assault of a child and domestic violence now have been given the right to seek a court order to go into your home.
2. Every witness to a crime and every victim of a crime will now have their name and contact information given to the defendant within 15 days of his arraignment. Parenthetically, bail for most cases has been abolished. In other words the individual who receives this information will not be incarcerated. The intent of the statute is to allow the accused access to the victim or witness.
3. Since the inception of the Grand Jury system a person’s testimony before the Grand Jury is kept secret unless and until the case goes to trial. This is an attempt to encourage citizens to cooperate in criminal investigations without fear of intimidation or reprisal. With the passage of the “Reform” Bills Grand Jury secrecy has been abolished. The prosecution must now turn over to the defendant all Grand Jury testimony.
At the time of the posting of this memo I have not been able to confirm each of the Ulster County representatives who voted in favor of these Bills. May I suggest that you reach out to your representatives and inquire.
Sen. James Skoufis Sen. Jen Metzger
1093 Little Britain Road 201 Dolson Avenue, Suite F
New Windsor, NY 12553 Middletown, NY 10940
567-1270 344-3311
Sen. George Amedore Sen. James Seward
721 Broadway, Suite 100 41 S. Main Street
Kingston, NY 12401 Oneonta, NY 13820
331-3810 607-432-5524
Assemblyman Brian Miller Assemblyman Chris Tague
Legislative Office Bldg. 544 45 Five Mile Woods Rd Bldg 2
Albany, NY 12248 Catskill, NY 12414
518-455-5334 518-943-1371
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson
1 Albany Avenue 154 North Plank Road
Kingston, NY 12401 Newburgh, NY 12550
338-9610 562-0888