Repair Bail Reform by Limiting to First Time Offenders insists Larry Sharpe, candidate for Governor of NY

Larry Sharpe says repair, don’t repeal bail reform. He calls for limiting bail reform to first-time offenders and a three-point plan for repair.

Libertarian candidate for Governor of New York, Larry Sharpe calls on Kathy Hochul to issue an immediate executive order to limit current bail reform to first time offenders until Congress improves the law. Sharpe is advocating for the same three-point plan on bail reform he proposed in 2018, including:

  1. Mandate that a minimum of 4 methods of bail payment be made available by the courts, including the option to pay by debit or credit card
  2. Reduce bail amounts for low level non-violent offenders
  3. Provide low level non-violent offenders with GPS enabled ankle bracelets in lieu of jail

Governor Hochul recently suggested a 10 point plan that included the same focus on first-time offenders that Larry Sharpe published in 2018.  Experts speculate that she will cede to calls by Republicans including Congressman Lee Zeldin to repeal the reforms completely, rather than finding a viable solution. The likely roll back of the reforms would mean no change to the ongoing problems with criminal justice in New York State since Hochul has been in office.

Repealing bail reform without fixing it shows cowardice by Democrats led by Kathy Hochul because they’re afraid of the 2022 election results. And, giving no consideration to bail reform is mean-spirited on the part of Republicans led by Lee Zeldin because it continues to punish poor people. The answer is focusing bail reform on first-time offenders immediately, and then sending the law back to the assembly to be repaired,” said Larry Sharpe.

According to Sharpe, the majority of felonies are committed by repeat offenders. Sharpe states that an executive order to modify the bail reforms to only apply to first time offenders will have an immediate positive impact on the rise of violent crime in New York. Additionally, first-time offenders will have an opportunity to correct their behavior before a permanent criminal record creates barriers to participation with lawful society.

About Larry Sharpe

Larry Sharpe ran for Governor of New York in 2018 and got close to 100,000 votes as a Libertarian. He is running again as a Libertarian, with the additional endorsement of Andrew Yang’s Forward Party. He is a Husband, Father, Marine, Entrepreneur, Teacher and Political Activist. His mission is to help people find happiness through community and purpose, often by overcoming bad policy decisions in government. His ability to connect with voters across the political spectrum enabled the Libertarian Party to achieve automatic ballot access for the first time in New York state history.

Contact

Dennis Consorte
Email: pr@lpnys.org
Tel: 201.222.1001

 

Press release authored by Jeffrey Denecke and Dennis Consorte

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