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Recent anti-Semitic attacks testing Dems resolve on criminal justice reform

Jan 07, 2020 12:30 pm
Anna Sanders and Denis Slattery are reporting for the New York Daily News in the days before state lawmakers return to Albany, a division seems to be widening as competing positions on criminal justice reform emerge as the new laws go into effect. “Bail reform is right. But changing the system is complicated and then has a number of ramifications," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said January 6, in Manhattan. "There is no doubt this is still a work in progress. And there are other changes that need to be made.” But supporters say the law is working as intended. Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, cautioned against what he called overreacting to “sensational stories” and said more time is needed to assess whether lawmakers really need to reevaluate reforms that went into effect only six days ago. The back and forth over bail is happening in the wake of the recent anti-Semitic attacks across New York City and in Rockland County. As a result, some Democrats have acknowledged that revisiting the reforms during the upcoming legislative session is a possibility. Several Jewish organizations this week released a joint statement saying the wave of attacks and the bail law changes should not be linked, or provide a motivation for amendments. Read the full story in the Daily News.