Congressman Crowley Statement on Passage of Bail Reform in the New York State Assembly
(Washington, D.C.) — Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, released the following statement on the passage of a New York State Assembly bill that would eliminate cash bail for misdemeanor and non-violent felonies:
“This is a much-needed reform to our state’s criminal justice system. This bill will reduce New York’s jail population and help ensure that low-income New Yorkers are no longer punished for simply being unable to afford bail.
“It’s a travesty that two-thirds of our state’s jail population hasn’t even been convicted of a crime. Thousands of our fellow New Yorkers, many of whom are black or Latino, have been robbed of a future and stripped of their dignity simply because our criminal justice system is broken.
“This bill is a good first step toward bringing justice to the families who have been torn apart by mass incarceration and will set us on course to end cash bail once and for all.”
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