FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2022

Brooklyn, NY—Common Justice released the following statement on Governor Hochul’s announcement to rollback major criminal justice reforms.

“Common Justice vehemently opposes Governor Hochul’s proposed rollbacks to multiple criminal justice reforms, stemming far beyond the crucial reforms to bail and discovery made in 2019. Witnessing the proposal of such sweeping rollbacks only two years after the unnecessary 2020 rollbacks—in a new administration—is not only disheartening, but is a slap in the face to advocates, legislators, and most importantly, impacted individuals, that fought so hard to move New York away from the archaic systems of punishment and mass incarceration, and closer to a structure that promotes rehabilitation and safety. This announcement is a defeated response to the law-and-order fear-mongering that has ensued over the past year.

Mere weeks ago, we applauded the Hochul Administration for their commitment to criminal justice reform, violence prevention, and victim services, as evidenced by her proposal to pass Clean Slate, TAP, and her allocation of 14.4M to victim service programs. However, Governor Hochul’s ‘10-point plan’ displays a gross lack of understanding of what true violence prevention looks like and what healthy communities consist of. We implore Governor Hochul to recommit to the promises her administration initially made and not to cave to inaccurate and disingenuous attacks on criminal justice reforms. True commitment to public safety and violence prevention begins with community investment.”

###