Fighting Back Against Bail Reform

The distinguished judge, author and columnist John H. Wilson (ret.) critiques the growing crisis caused by failed bail reform policies in this special two-part series

Since January 1^st, New York State has been the subject of a social justice experiment called bail reform. In short, without hearings or public comment, the New York Legislature instituted the “Bail Elimination Act of 2019” which is intended “to end the use of monetary bail, reduce unnecessary pretrial incarceration and improve equity and fairness in the criminal justice system.”

Instead, this new law has brought an increase in crime of almost 17 percent in the first 34 days of 2020 – including violent crime categories, such as robberies and shootings. In fact, shootings, burglaries and assaults have increased by 28.8 percent, and transit crimes are up by 30 percent. Auto theft is up by a stunning 72.5 percent.

In a rare statement, the Presiding Judge for Bronx Criminal Court, George Grasso, stated that without significant changes, the current legislation will not only be a missed opportunity for long-overdue criminal justice reform, but also a significant threat to public safety…we already are seeing serious spikes in violent crime throughout New York City in 2020.”

Even Mayor DeBlasio admits that bail reform has caused a spike in crime. “It sort of stands out like a sore thumb that this (bail reform) is the single biggest new thing in the equation and we saw an extraordinary jump (in crime).”

Despite the evidence that the new law is a dangerous failure, the horror stories continue to pour in since we last wrote about this topic at the end of last year. By the end of January, a drug ring of six people was arrested in the Bronx in possession of 750,000 envelopes of heroin and fentanyl, worth in excess of seven million dollars. All were released without bail, despite having been caught in the act of packing the drugs in envelopes marked “Fire.” According to the New York Post, “supporters in court early Wednesday waved their hands in celebration as the six suspects walked out.”

Also, at the end of January, the suspect in a fatal DUI, with a record of three prior DUI’s and a pending parole violation charge, was released without bail. At the time of his arrest, Jordan Randolph actually told the police “The laws changed, I’ll be out tomorrow.” In Mr. Randolph’s case, his freedom was short lived. After the mother of the victim publicly complained, the defendant was incarcerated for his parole violation.

Regardless of the mounting evidence, members of New York’s legislative bodies refused to recognize the truth. When NYC Police Commissioner Dermot Shea complained about the spike in crime caused by the new bai law, two members of the City Council wrote to tell him that “the public and policymakers are ill-served by false narratives that inhibit legitimate conversations about improving the bail reform law.”

One of the most popular cold medicines on the market, the medicine is available as kamagra tablets, kamagra soft tabs, Kamagra polo and Kamagra purchase levitra oral jelly. One simple can be asked to do that is through tadalafil online in uk secretworldchronicle.com. Simply to be there’s plenty of overlap from melancholy and thus anxiety, there’s also a number of overlap into treatment relating free levitra to the 2 disorders. Whatever be the age of cialis 20 mg http://secretworldchronicle.com/characters/seraphym/ man, he certainly likes to enjoy sex.

Who is actually blocking any change to the bail reform law? Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. According to most reports, the Speaker stated, “I want judges, DAs, the police departments, sheriffs to work with the Legislature to try to make the law work,” rather than make any changes to the law. Apparently, Speaker Heastie doesn’t care how many criminals walk the streets, so long as there is “equity and fairness in the criminal justice system.”

But there are those who are fighting against the rising tide of criminal activity. In Nassau County, Judge David McAndrews took a brave stand and refused to apply the new bail law to the case of a bank robber named Romell Nellis. Calling the defendant a “menace to society,” the judge set a $10,000 cash bail on the defendant, saying he didn’t want him “walking around the judge’s neighborhood.”

Unfortunately, this brave stand was brief in duration, as a superior court judge released Nellis with an ankle monitor – which he promptly cut off, and absconded. At last report, Nellis is still at large, free to rob more banks.

The Special Report concludes tomorrow.

Illustration: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Russia Expanding Aggression

President Putin is using more than one pathway to enter Europe and undermine the West. While most of the world watches the conflict he initiated in Ukraine, the Russian government is actively pursuing a second front in a little noticed campaign in Cyprus. Although the corrupt Cypriot government ended its issuance of “golden passports” in 2020, Russian intelligence is functioning quietly there to transform this EU country into a Russian beachhead of illicit economic activity aimed at penetrating the capitalist West, according to Paul Goble of the Jamestown Foundation. Cyprus is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nor does it receive as much attention as those countries who are member states. That adds to its allure as a prime location for Russia to attempt to gain a European foothold. Last week a NATO report, cited in the European Daily Monitor, noted that Russian intelligence agents have been plotting to destroy European infrastructure across the continent to disrupt states supporting Ukraine. It further suggests that Putin’s immediate goal is to lay the framework for a future move against the security organization’s members. Hungary, in particular, is another country garnering Moscow’s attention as it opposes the Western response to Russian aggression. Russia is focusing its intelligence efforts on other European, non-NATO member countries in addition to Cyprus, including Austria, Malta, and Ireland. The NATO report suggests that Moscow has had success in disseminating the Russian political narrative in these states to advance its campaign against the West. The island of Cyprus is proving to be a good target for Moscow as it is an ethnically divided island that is part of the EU since 2004. Northern Cyprus, officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that is only recognized by Turkey. The division precludes it from joining NATO. As Goble suggests, “it offers Russia troubled waters in which to fish.” Over the last 20 years, he points out, Cyprus’ challenges have opened it to a massive influx of Russian citizens, who now comprise approximately 10 percent of the island state’s population. Over 2,900 residents are Russians who entered until the “golden passport” program that allowed wealthy or well-connected Russians to move to Cyprus. It also provided them with documentation to travel freely throughout Europe! Although less visible on the world’s radar than the war in Ukraine, Moscow is also being helped by Cyprus’ banks opposition to seizing Russian assets and its support in evading Western sanctions. Russia has placed tens of billions of US Dollars there for money laundering. It has been more than two years since a single Russian “diplomat” has been deported and, in fact, the Embassy has grown to over 300 staffers on this tiny island state of only 1.2 million people. The Russian embassy in Nicosia has advanced communications antennae on its roof and opened a consulate on the northern end of the island. Moscow’s Ambassador, Mura Zyazikov, is a lieutenant general in the FSB with no diplomatic experience. The FSB, SVR (Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service), and GRU are actively using the island as a base of operations against NATO Member states, Israel, and other Western allies. Moscow backs pro-Russian political parties who in turn influence Cypriot decisions on education, language, and other issues. “Dmitry Khmelnitsky of the Dossier Center says that its findings should be of concern not only to Cyprus but to the West as a whole. Those who ignore what Moscow is doing because Cyprus does not follow the EU sanctions regime are missing something critical,” says Goble. “Cyprus does not seek to get rid of Russian agents and does not interfere with their work,” Khmelnitsky concludes, “despite the fact that what the Kremlin is doing is so clearly visible.” This has an impact not only on the small island but on the EU, NATO, and the West in general. Earlier this year the Moscow Times reported that when the FBI became more interested in Russian business and oligarchs in Cyprus, at least 10 of the major Russian businesses operating there left. Despite the government of Cyprus’ vow to implement plans for new sanctions against Russia, it continues to ignore Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine and to shield the wealth of the 50,000 wealthy Russian citizens and oligarchs residing there. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept. Illustration: Pixabay