#New York bail laws restore some power to the court

The tide of bail reform rolled back a bit Thursday, as a number of new provisions approved under April’s state budget formally kicked in.

The revisions restore some power to a court system that those in law-enforcement have slammed as too weak since the initial reforms became state law on Jan. 1.

A number of charges deemed ineligible for bail under that law are now, again, “qualifying offenses.”

They include: sex trafficking, money laundering in support of terrorism, possession of a weapon on school grounds, vehicular assault in the first degree and any crime that proves fatal.

Judges also now have the discretion to set bail in felony cases in which the defendant was on probation or postrelease supervision, as well as those in which the defendant — if found guilty — would qualify for sentencing as a persistent felony offender.

Also expanded are the conditions the court can set for release in cases in which bail can’t be imposed, including the surrender of the defendant’s passport and an agreement that they not contact other parties who are involved.

“It’s been a long-fought battle, but we persisted and were able to achieve significant changes to the botched bail reform adopted by the governor with one-party rule in last year’s budget,” said state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Brooklyn/SI).

But proponents of bail reform blasted the step back.

“These unfair rollbacks were allowed to move forward even when we all knew in our hearts that it was wrong,” said Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn).