Pay Attention To November Elections If You Care About Criminal Justice Reform In New York

Our goal in this blog is not to support one candidate or party over others. That’s not our purpose.

That said, we’d be remiss if we didn’t call your attention to an interesting article in The Gothamist run earlier this week, breaking down the state of criminal justice reform in New York and how different candidates may impact the issues under debate one way or the other.

The issues at stake include bail reform, discovery, the right to a speedy trial, parole reform, the decriminalization of marijuana, civil asset forfeiture, record expungement, the issue of whether immigrants should be deported over misdemeanors, and the impact of court fees and fines on low-income defendants.

We’ve covered some of these issues on our blog before. It seems a good time to round up some resources, both on-site and off-site, where you can learn more.

Bail Reform

Off-Site:

• What Bail Reform Could Look Like in New York
• Center for Court Innovation: Bail Reform
• The Atlantic on the Failure of New York’s Bail Law

On-Site:

• What Are Your Options if You Can’t Afford Bail in NYC?

Parole Reform

Off-Site:

• Push to Change the New York State Parole System
• Hard-Won Parole Board Reforms Under Attack in New York
• Fear-Mongering vs. Reality in New York Parole

On-Site:

• What to Do If You’re Accused of Violating Parole

Decriminalization of Marijuana

Off-Site:

• District Attornies Dismantle Legacy of Tough Marijuana Enforcement
• 3000 Marijuana Cases Thrown Out in Manhattan
• Marijuana Advocates Urge New York to Make it Legal, Affordable

On-Site:

• Why Decriminalization of Marijuana May Not Spare You an Arrest
• In the News: Changes to NYC’s Marijuana Policy
• 4 Dumb Marijuana Mistakes You May Be Making

Record Expungement

Off-Site:

• Sealed Criminal Records

On-Site:

• Can You Clear a Criminal Record in New York?

Immigration & Misdemeanors

Off-Site:

• Brooklyn Moves to Protect Immigrants from Deportation Over Petty Crimes

On-Site:

• Can an Undocumented Immigrant Contact a New York Criminal Lawyer

Remember, anyone can run afoul of the criminal justice system at any time.

Wherever you stand on these issues it’s vitally important for you to get out and vote. One day they may impact you, even if you’ve been a law-abiding citizen all your life.