New York State Bar Association Opposes Rollbacks of Bail Reform
5.8.2023
Sherry Levin Wallach, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about changes to the bail reform law:
“The New York State Bar Association in principle opposes rollbacks of the 2019 bail reform law, which was intended to improve fairness in the criminal justice system – particularly for low-level, nonviolent offenders.
“Legislating policy matters as a part of the state budget process results in a lack of transparency and debate and prevents those who are directly impacted by the changes from making their voices heard.
“Though we disagree with the way these changes came about, we recognize that it is now incumbent on the members of the bar to work together to provide context to and analysis of this new legislation.
“In the coming weeks and months, the association will offer educational programs to enable practitioners to fully appreciate the changes in the law and thereby promote the best results possible under the circumstances.”
