Our partner Seymour James, Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on the Parole System, applauded last week's passage of the Less is More Act, one of the NYSBA's top legislative priorities this session. The bill now awaits Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature.
From the release:
“It is estimated that nearly 40 percent of persons sent to state prison in New York each year are incarcerated not for a new criminal conviction, but for a technical parole violation for minor and non-criminal technical violations, such as failing to make curfew or missing an appointment with a parole officer,” said Seymour James, task force co-chair and a past NYSBA president. “This longstanding policy of reincarceration for non-criminal behavior is counterproductive and costly, both in human and financial terms, which is why the task force strongly recommended that it be promptly addressed through legislation.
