Tag: bail

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: National bail fund to expand in Deep South

“The national Bail Project, which helps low-income defendants get out of jail by bailing them out as their criminal cases progress through the courts, was founded three years ago, following a successful 10-year campaign led by Steinberg and the Bronx Defenders in New York City.” Read the full article here

Queens Gazette: Bail Reform In New York, Part II

“Bronx Defenders Chief of Staff Caines said he was working on decarceration for some time before bail reform. He said the early releases, in November and December, were frequent, favoring those who he said shouldn’t have been incarcerated anyway. In January, releases from Rikers made some fear an impending crime wave, but it didn’t happen, […]

The Riverdale Press: Amid protests, budget cuts, crime rises in 5-0

“But that’s an unfair claim, said Eli Northrup, criminal defense policy counsel at the Bronx Defenders, a public defender nonprofit. “If anything, bail reform in the last month has been rolled back,” Northrup said. “I don’t think there’s any evidence that bail reform has anything to do with this. If you look, crime is actually […]

Gothamist: What The New Rollbacks To Bail Reform Mean In New York

“Someone who commits a felony while on probation or parole can no longer be released automatically. The same goes for someone with at least two prior felony convictions who is arrested for a new felony. Scott Levy, chief policy counsel for Bronx Defenders, said that’s overly punitive. “What this really does is penalize and punish […]

WNYC: What the New Rollbacks to Bail Reform Mean in New York

“Just six months ago, New York state eliminated cash bail for almost all offenses except violent felonies. But there was an immediate backlash after the NYPD claimed the crime rate was going up. There were also constant media reports about cases in which people were re-arrested after being released without bail, notably one involving a woman who punched Orthodox Jewish […]

The New Yorker: Where Bail Funds Go From Here

“The contemporary bail-fund movement is largely a product of the last decade, and got its start in New York City. In 2007, Robin Steinberg and David Feige, of the Bronx Defenders, a groundbreaking public-defenders’ office, launched the Bronx Freedom Fund, to pay low-level bails for Bronx residents. Two years later, a judge ruled that the fund was […]

Patch: Manhattan DA Wants NYC Looting Suspects Held Without Bail: Report

“Public defense organizations such as the Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and the Bronx Defenders called Vance’s request “outrageous” in a joint statement released Thursday. “Vance’s proposal would increase incarceration at a time when prisons and jails account for eight of the 10 largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the country and when the City’s own correctional […]

Legislative Gazette: Budget includes compromise on bail reform and judicial discretion

“Now, discovery laws have been extended to 20 calendar days and allowed some information to be non-discoverable. “The [amendments to] discovery provisions will also deny people facing criminal charges access to crucial and potentially exculpatory witness information. These are not small tweaks; they have bludgeoned reform just as it was taking root,” said the Bronx […]