Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi Warns of Dire Consequences of New York Bail Reform for Bergen Border Towns

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi puts out a warning for Bergen towns bordering New York state bail reform :

“As many of my constituents work in New York State and many of the towns in District 39 abut the New York border please familiarize yourself with some of the new bail reform and discovery laws taking effect in 2020. Under the new bail reform law, judges will no longer be able to set bail for a long list of misdemeanors and felonies, including assault as a hate crime, second degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, stalking, assault without serious injury, burglary, many drug offenses, and even some kinds of arson and robbery. They must release a defendant immediately with no bail requirement and no discretion to impose bail even if there is a real threat to the community posed. Simultaneously they passed the new discovery laws which also just took effect. In the awful event you are a victim of a crime or happen to witness a crime do not provide your home address, email or cell number. Under this new law a prosecutor must turn over that information to a suspect and their attorney within 15 days of arraignment, even if a case hasn’t been heard yet by a grand jury. This is in all likelihood while the suspect has been mandatoryly released without bail. A defendant and/or his or her attorney now has the right, upon motion to the court, to visit a crime scene, even if it is the victim’s own home or bedroom! The potential for harassment and witness intimidation is real and significant. These laws truly have the potential to further harm our crime victims.”