Ten percent re-arrested in Nassau after bail reform (updated)
Just before Gov. Andrew Cuomo locked down New York on March 22 and months before George Floyd was killed on May 25, Nassau lawmakers were worried about the effects of the new bail reform law and requested crime reports.
Bail reform, adopted by the Democratic majority in Albany last year, took effect on Jan. 1. It eliminated bail for all but the most violent crimes. Long Island lawmakers publicly worried about the number of suspects released immediately after arrest only to go back onto the street and allegedly commit more crimes.
Well, it may be two months late, but the Nassau legislature got its first report this week on the effect of bail reform from Jan. 1 through March 31.
During those three months, 3,497 people were arrested in Nassau; 3,010 were released without bail while 295 were re-arrested, according to the report from the county police department. That's nearly 10 percent that were re-arrested.
The majority of no-bail crimes involved drugs, either controlled substances or marijuana, which has yet to be legalized in New York: 804 arrests, followed by 78 re-arrests for the same crime. Again, nearly 10 percent.
The next highest number of persons arrested and released were charged with larceny, or thefts: 334 people were arrested and released, 37 were re-arrested for larceny. That's about 11 percent.
It is expected that the numbers were skewed by the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced state of emergencies before the stay-home order was imposed.
The lockdown appeared to change the nature of crimes committed on Long Island, with burglaries and car thefts increasing. But those numbers would not be included in this report.
At the beginning of April, Newsday reported that both Nassau and Suffolk saw a dramatic decrease in major crimes, such as felony assaults and robberies.
But by the end of April, both counties reported spikes in commercial burglaries and robberies as well as auto thefts, Newsday reported. Nassau commercial burglaries shot up 28% in March and nearly
double in April to 44% compared to those two months in 2019,
In Nassau, auto thefts rose 40% in March and 62% in April compared to 2019, according to department statistics, Newsday reported.
Nassau police are not required until July to release the report on the number of people arrested, released and then re-arrested during April, May and June, according to legislation passed by the Nassau legislature requiring quarterly reports.
Danny Schrafel, communications director for Nassau Democratic legislators, said, in a statement, "These initial statistics establish that the vast majority of individuals released on their own recognizance have not been re-arrested upon release. It is the responsibility of leaders to apply these findings in a manner that does not cynically conjure dystopian visions for political purposes. Rather, we must apply this data to sober, methodical efforts to refine our law enforcement and social service strategies in order to further reduce recidivism and preserve Nassau County’s historically low crime rates.”
A spokesman for the Nassau Republican legislative majority could not be reached for comment.
Here is the report:
Bail reform, adopted by the Democratic majority in Albany last year, took effect on Jan. 1. It eliminated bail for all but the most violent crimes. Long Island lawmakers publicly worried about the number of suspects released immediately after arrest only to go back onto the street and allegedly commit more crimes.
Well, it may be two months late, but the Nassau legislature got its first report this week on the effect of bail reform from Jan. 1 through March 31.
During those three months, 3,497 people were arrested in Nassau; 3,010 were released without bail while 295 were re-arrested, according to the report from the county police department. That's nearly 10 percent that were re-arrested.
The majority of no-bail crimes involved drugs, either controlled substances or marijuana, which has yet to be legalized in New York: 804 arrests, followed by 78 re-arrests for the same crime. Again, nearly 10 percent.
The next highest number of persons arrested and released were charged with larceny, or thefts: 334 people were arrested and released, 37 were re-arrested for larceny. That's about 11 percent.
It is expected that the numbers were skewed by the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced state of emergencies before the stay-home order was imposed.
The lockdown appeared to change the nature of crimes committed on Long Island, with burglaries and car thefts increasing. But those numbers would not be included in this report.
At the beginning of April, Newsday reported that both Nassau and Suffolk saw a dramatic decrease in major crimes, such as felony assaults and robberies.
But by the end of April, both counties reported spikes in commercial burglaries and robberies as well as auto thefts, Newsday reported. Nassau commercial burglaries shot up 28% in March and nearly
double in April to 44% compared to those two months in 2019,
In Nassau, auto thefts rose 40% in March and 62% in April compared to 2019, according to department statistics, Newsday reported.
Nassau police are not required until July to release the report on the number of people arrested, released and then re-arrested during April, May and June, according to legislation passed by the Nassau legislature requiring quarterly reports.
Danny Schrafel, communications director for Nassau Democratic legislators, said, in a statement, "These initial statistics establish that the vast majority of individuals released on their own recognizance have not been re-arrested upon release. It is the responsibility of leaders to apply these findings in a manner that does not cynically conjure dystopian visions for political purposes. Rather, we must apply this data to sober, methodical efforts to refine our law enforcement and social service strategies in order to further reduce recidivism and preserve Nassau County’s historically low crime rates.”
A spokesman for the Nassau Republican legislative majority could not be reached for comment.
Here is the report:
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