Exploring the Impact of Bail Reform on the Culture of Pretrial Incarceration in the Time of the Coronavirus:
An Interactive Zoom Webinar Series
If you’ve been following recent headlines, you know that the movement to eliminate money bail is now on the target list of “law and order” proponents in the current election cycle.
It’s already been a critical flashpoint in New York State’s debate over how fast and how deeply to reimagine our system of crime and punishment,
Reflecting that debate, in April, the Assembly passed an amendment to the landmark bail bill enacted in January that clawed back some—though not all—of the provisions eliminating cash bail for non-felony defendants.
What happens next?
The debate certainly hasn’t eased, as opponents of the original bill tie the recent spike in New York City crime rates to the amended measures. Is New York’s bail reform doomed to be the end, rather than the beginning, of what many hoped would be the unraveling of the “punishment” culture that has disproportionately filled the state’s jails and prisons with New Yorkers of color?
Are critics correct when they argue that pushing reform efforts further endangers New Yorkers at a moment of economic and social crisis? What does the evidence so far tell us?
To explore these questions, the Center on Media, Crime and Justice (CMCJ) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice assembled a blue-ribbon group of top players in the bail reform debate, including analysts, lawmakers, justice practitioners, and academics, to provide reporters and interested public background insights to help cut through the fog of rhetoric.
They participated in an on-the-record “virtual” briefing consisting of two afternoon webinar sessions of about three hours each on Sept. 16 and 23. The sessions kicked off a packed program of fall and winter webinar sessions exploring key emerging issues of criminal justice during an election year. A full recording of each session is available below.
Speakers included the Hon. Jonathan Lippman, former New York State Chief Judge; Krystal Rodriguez, co-author of the landmark Center for Court Innovation study, “Bail Reform Revisited”; Erie County District Attorney John Flynn; and Khalil Cumberbatch, a former incarceree who served as associate vice president of policy at the Fortune Society and is now a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice.
The agenda for the Webinar Series is available here.
Click here for brief Bios of our Sept. 16 and Sept. 23 speakers and panelists.
Please bookmark this page for further reports and research related to the Webinar.
The CMCJ is grateful for the support of Arnold Ventures in preparing this Webinar series.
WEBINAR RECORDINGS
Sept. 16 PANEL One (abbreviated)
The Bail System and Racism
INTRO and WELCOME: Stephen Handelman, Center on Media, Crime and Justice
SPEAKERS: Khalil Cumberbatch, Senior Fellow, Council on Criminal Justice; Amy Jones, justice reform activist.
MODERATOR: Maurice Possley, Center on Media, Crime and Justice
Sept.16 PANEL 2
Understanding the 2019 Law and 2020 Amendments: The Results So Far
SPEAKERS: Krystal Rodriguez, Center for Court Innovation; Insha Rahman, Vera Institute of Justice; Sen. Michael Gianaris, Deputy Majority Leader, NY Senate; Erica Bond, John Jay College.
MODERATOR: Amy Bach, Measures for Justice.
Sept.23 KEYNOTE
SPEAKER: The Hon. Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Judge New York State Court of Appeals
Sept 23 Panel One
Pretrial Detention in the Time of the Coronavirus
SPEAKERS: John Flynn, Erie County District Attorney; Wesley Caine, Bronx Defenders; Craig D. Apple, Sr., Sheriff Albany County;
MODERATOR: Steve Zeidman, CUNY Law School
Sept. 23 Panel Two
Where Does Bail Reform Go From Here?
SPEAKERS: DeAnna Hoskins, JustLeadership USA; P. David Soares, Albany County District Attorney; Marc Levin, Texas Public Policy Foundation
MODERATOR: Maurice Possley, Center on Media, Crime and Justice
RESOURCES: USEFUL BACKGROUND
Bail Reform Revisited: The Impact of New York’s Amended Bail Law on Pretrial Detention by Michael Rempel and Krystal Rodriguez, Center on Court Innovation May, 2020
Bail Reform Revisited: Fact Sheet (May 2020)
Take it from a DA: Don’t Roll Back Bail Reform by Jim Manfre, Albany-Times Union, Feb. 25,2020
Law Enforcement Leaders Agree: Money Bail Has to End, by Ronal Serpas and Taryn Merkel, The Appeal, April 21, 2020
Data Collaborative for Justice (website)
DCJ Research Brief: “Assessing Potential Impacts of 2020 Bail Reforms in NYC”
DCJ Research Brief: “Desk Appearance Tickets in New York State, 2018”
RECENT NEWS COVERAGE
Bail Reform No Threat to Public Safety: Former NY Chief Judge
https://thecrimereport.org/2020/09/17/ny-bail-reform-called-most-dramatic-in-nation/
Murder Case Exposes Bail System’s Flaws, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 25, 2020, by Deanna Paul
FELLOWS STORIES
Thomas Kogan Queens Gazette
Bail Reform in New York, Part 1 Sept. 23,2020
Bail Reform in New York, Part 2 Sept. 30, 2020