Opinion: Upcoming election is a referendum on justice reform
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COURIER L 36 IFE, OCTOBER 25-31, 2019
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LAST WEEK’S TOP STORY:
Although it has garnered little
attention, there is an election
for NYC Public Advocate next
Tuesday, Nov. 5. This offi cial
is fi rst in line to succeed the
mayor and acts as an ombudsman
between residents and
city government. The race can
be framed as a symbolic referendum
on the criminal justice
reforms that have taken hold
in our city and state, and be a
harbinger of state legislative
races next year.
The two main candidates
running, incumbent Democrat
Jumaane Williams, and
Republican Joseph Borelli, offer
a clear contrast for voters.
Williams, who was elected in
a special election earlier this
year, is part of the new progressive
movement and has supported
the recent fundamental
changes to our criminal justice
system.
Borelli, a well liked and
respected Councilman from
Staten Island, has been a consistent
critic of these changes.
This includes his opposition to
closing Rikers Island and the
new reforms passed at our city
and state levels of government
that focus on protecting and
defending those that commit
crimes rather than law abiding
residents.
For example, the recent bail
reform legislation passed by Albany
Democrats that takes effect
in January forbids judges
from imposing bail for many
crimes, even if the person has
a long rap sheet and has a likelihood
of committing further
crimes. During their debate
on NY 1 last week, Williams
expressed his staunch support
for bail reform while Borelli
strongly opposed this legislation.
Indeed, come January, a
perp must be released within
hours of their arrest for crimes
including burglary of your
home, grand larceny, second degree
manslaughter, aggravated
assault on a person less than 11
years old, possession of a gun
on school grounds, sale of a gun
to a minor, and aggravated harassment
in the fi rst degree,
These are just a few. Democrats
in Albany obviously sold us a
bill of goods when they said that
only those that committed “minor
non-violent crimes” would
be released.
When most people make decisions
they consider a cost-benefi
t analysis for their actions
and this includes criminals.
From their perspective, the
benefi ts now far outweigh the
potential costs. Think about it,
if someone served time for murder
or rape and then assaulted
someone or robbed a home,
that person would have to fi rst
get caught. If they are, a judge
is required to release them on
their own recognizance based
on the law that begins in January.
They then must return to
court based on their word. Joe
Borelli gets the lunacy of this,
while Williams and most other
Democrats don’t.
Also, last week, the City
Council celebrated their passage
of the law that would close
Rikers in 2026 and replace it
with four smaller jails in local
communities. In the City Council,
Borelli voted against this
plan. While the Mayor, Public
Advocate, and City Council
members that voted to approve
this plan patted themselves on
the back, criminals gave each
other high fi ves because to meet
the much lower maximum capacity
of the new jails fewer of
them will be sent to jail.
The lynchpin is that the jail
population in New York City,
come hell or high water, must
be reduced to 3,300, which
will be the full capacity of the
four new neighborhood jails.
The number of those incarcerated
here has not been this
low since the 1920’s when there
were about three million less
residents. To further put these
numbers in perspective, in the
bad old days of the early 1990’s
there were 20,000 at Rikers and
in the summer of 2017 when
the Mayor fi rst announced his
plan, it was just over 9,000. Today
it is about 7,000.
Here is the bottom line,
come January, due to the implementation
of the new bail
law and the continued need
to reduce the city jail population
to 3,300, odds are that unless
you commit murder or
rape, you will be free to be on
the streets. Amazingly, there
are even a growing number on
the far-left that believe no one
should go away and therefore,
nothing should replace Rikers
Island.
New Yorkers have a chance
to send a message that they disagree
with the grave path New
York is heading down by fi lling
in the oval for Joe Borelli. Next
year, the entire state legislature
is up for election and I suspect
that as the reality of more
crimes against New Yorkers
occurs, the Democrats who allowed
it to happen will have
tougher races.
A respectable showing for
Borelli would demonstrate that
city residents are tired of one
party controlling government
and want a real debate about
these issues, and would add
hope to the GOP’s efforts next
year.
THE RIGHT
VIEW
Bob Capano
/BROOKLYNPAPER.COM
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