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WATERTOWN — The state has recently implemented a number of initiatives related to criminal justice reform, from a defendant’s first appearance at arraignment to where they can be held in jail. How these new policies will play out on a local level, however, remains unclear.

Rikers Guards Are Allegedly Sexually Abusing Visitors In Bathrooms! In an effort to avoid newly-installed surveillance cameras in search areas, Rikers Island correctional officers take female visitors to nearby bathrooms to strip-search them, according to several women and a new report by the Jails Action Coalition.  Five women have now filed notices of claim (which signal an…

Steps Toward Bail Reform Taken in Manhattan and Dutchess County Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s policy shift came the same day as the New York Civil Liberties Union announced the filing of an extensive habeas corpus petition, under equal protection and due process principles, on behalf of a Dutchess County resident behind bars because he…

In a lawsuit filed today, the New York Civil Liberties Union challenged the imposition of cash bail when a judge has not considered a person’s ability to pay or alternatives to money bail. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Dutchess County resident Christopher Kunkeli, who has spent three months in jail before trial on…

This afternoon, Governor Cuomo delivered his State of the State Address (you can find a recording of the speech here). This followed the release of his five-point plan for criminal justice reform this morning.