Expect more political beef over bail reform in Albany this year.<\/p>\n
Gov. Hochul proposed Tuesday making it easier for judges to set high-dollar bail for some criminal defendants \u2014 revisiting an issue that could raise hackles from criminal justice reform advocates and Democrats in the state Legislature.<\/p>\n
Hochul\u2019s proposal, outlined in her State of the State address<\/a>, would eliminate the so-called \u201cleast restrictive\u201d standard in the law, which requires judges to consider a defendant\u2019s financial ability to post bail before deciding on a monetary amount, among other stipulations.<\/p>\n The governor baked in a caveat, though. She said judges should be able to disregard the standard only in cases involving \u201cserious crimes,\u201d which she defined as those that are already bail-eligible under the law.<\/p>\n \u201cAs leaders, we cannot ignore that, when we hear so often from New Yorkers that crime is their top concern,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cAnd so, to my partners in the Legislature, let\u2019s start with this shared understanding and have a thoughtful conversation during the budget process about improvements we can make to the law.\u201d<\/p>\n New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivers her State of the State address in the Assembly Chamber at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. <\/span>(Hans Pennink\/AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The Democrat-led Legislature\u2019s 2019 bail reforms, already amended in 2020, banned the use of cash bail for most nonviolent offenses on the impetus that the practice was needlessly punitive against low-income defendants, especially Black and Latino New Yorkers.<\/p>\n Last year, after months of prodding from Mayor Adams<\/a> and to the chagrin of many left-wing politicians, Hochul persuaded lawmakers to give judges slightly more discretion and add more crimes to the list of bail-eligible offenses, including some gun charges and forms of theft.<\/p>\n Still, Adams \u2014 and Republicans \u2014 have pressed for even more adjustments to the bail laws, and Hochul appeared to side with that sentiment as she told lawmakers in her State of the State speech that the \u201cbail reform law as written leaves room for improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u00a0<\/span>Housing, mental health and public safety among Gov. Hochul\u2019s top policy priorities in NY State of State address<\/a>\u00a0]<\/span><\/p>\n Adams, who attended Hochul\u2019s speech before a joint session of the Legislature, declined to comment specifically via a spokeswoman on the governor\u2019s push for repealing the \u201cleast restrictive\u201d standard.<\/p>\n In a statement issued by his office, Adams said Hochul\u2019s State of the State proposals on \u201cpublic safety reflect New York City\u2019s priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is much to celebrate in this important address,\u201d the mayor said, \u201cand I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the governor to make New York City stronger, safer and more affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n New York Mayor Eric Adams gestures as he arrives to hear Gov. Kathy Hochul deliver her State of the State address in the Assembly Chamber at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. <\/span>(Hans Pennink\/AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Another aspect of Hochul\u2019s speech that aligned with Adams\u2019 agenda was her proposal to pour $1 billion into expanding mental health services.<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/resizer\/brHN5Mus-uS5VAA-W5EMyMdwWUA=\/1440x0\/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/tronc\/SLYA26C2YUDFARIMS2KDSXQQZM.jpg\")
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