New York

Thirteen policy questions reveal the rifts in tomorrow’s Democratic primary, and the space for criminal justice reforms.

Candidates running in Tuesday’s election vow to sideline untrustworthy officers and purge past convictions. The outgoing DA has drawn fire for his handling of police misconduct.

The Manhattan DA candidate makes his case that more incarceration does not bolster public safety, one week from the Democratic primary.

Student activists pushing for police-free schools in Syracuse, New York, are backing Twiggy Billue, a candidate in the June 22 primary who wants to follow school districts across the country that have cut ties with cops.

Progressives are warning that the governor’s appointment of the Nassau County district attorney would intensify the court’s pro-prosecution bent.

Eliza Orlins, who is running in the June 22 primary, lays out how she would overhaul the “prosecutorial-industrial complex.”

The embattled New York governor, who advocates describe as a longtime impediment to reform, signed bills to legalize marijuana and considerably restrict solitary confinement in the state.

Dan Quart makes the case for addressing the “systemic breakdown” in New York’s prisons and jails with shorter sentences, ending cash bail, and other reforms.

Most candidates running in the June election for DA say they would not prosecute cases involving consensual sex work, a striking sign of local activists’ success.

After 30 jail deaths in 16 years, the sheriff election in Erie County, New York, could force a reckoning.

New York’s association of state DAs has fought measures such as bail reform, but three candidates in Manhattan’s DA election say they would not join it.

A new law will stop the suspension of driver’s licenses when New Yorkers fail to pay fines.

“These changes won’t be made unless we demand them loudly and relentlessly,” says state Senator Julia Salazar.

Matt Toporowski, up against the former head of the DA’s association, says he would “walk down the halls with advocates and lobby for progressive reform.”

A New York bill would abolish felony disenfranchisement. That would mean law enforcement is no longer the arbiter of who gets to vote.

New York DA candidates starkly disagree on bail and discovery reforms in Queens and three upstate counties, Dutchess, Monroe, and Ulster.

New Yorkers voted in their DA primaries.

Our roundtable probes the stakes of the Queens DA election for criminal justice reform: “If there is room for reform anywhere in the boroughs of New York City, it is in Queens.”

Legislative Roundup: Arizona and Minnesota legislature adjourn with little to show on reform, New York lifts ban on gravity knives, and more Many of the laws that govern the American criminal justice system are set at the state level. Explore the latest developments on criminal justice reform in state legislatures around the country with the […]

Criminal justice reform, discovery rules, immigration: What’s at stake in New York’s 2019 elections for DA?

New York holds 25 elections for district attorney and 16 elections for sheriff in 2019. This page has a masterlist of the candidates who filed party petitions.

Sheriff Patrick Russo faces no challengers. But the state legislature could act to restrict local cooperation with the federal agency.

The New York legislature overhauled discovery and bail, adopting a budget deal that contains reforms that state organizers have long worked toward.

Shani Curry Mitchell, a Democratic candidate for district attorney in New York’s Monroe County, discussed proposed state reforms.

New York coalition pushes for decriminalization for sex work, Utah considers deportation consequences, and more.

In the face of an overdose epidemic, Bronx DA Darcel Clark rejects a harm reduction strategy and Governor Cuomo chooses inaction.

New York would benefit from looking at Texas, which is surprisingly progressive on various criminal justice issues. But while legislative reforms are necessary, they are in no way sufficient.

Since the election, groups have called for legislative reforms that will reverse the state’s tough-on-crime policies.

Candidates who have pledged to curb pretrial detention gained in Texas, and grabbed a legislative majority in New York.

A year after being charged with misconduct, a prosecutor seeks re-election

Alessandra Biaggi and Zellnor Myrie explain the change they want to bring.

Election for Ulster County sheriff fought over over immigration, opoids.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s attitude on criminal justice has swung wildly in recent years. In 2016 he vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have strengthened New York’s public defense system, and he has rarely used his clemency powers. But this year Cuomo announced that he would restore the voting rights of tens of thousands of people by issuing pardons, and signed a bill establishing […]

Criminal justice reform front-and-center in New York’s 14th Congressional District Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a victory heard around the country on June 26, becoming the Democratic nominee in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of the Bronx and Queens. Ocasio-Cortez is heavily favored to win the general election. She published an essay on the “urgency of criminal […]

Dan Donovan faces challenge, three years after wrapping-up investigation into Eric Garner’s death