Senate Holds Hearings on State Parole Policies

October 9th, 2018

The state Senate’s Crime Victims, Crime & Corrections Committee and Elections Committee held two public hearing last week on the state’s parole practices and an executive order issued that Gov. Cuomo issued in April that restored the voting rights of more than 24,000 felons on parole.

Some police union officials have been critical of the state’s Board of Parole, saying that it has lowered the standard for potentially dangerous criminals to be released from incarceration.  Patrick Lynch, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association (NYC PBA) noted that the Board of Parole has approved the release of a number of people who murdered police officers.

Senate Democrats did not participate in the hearings, calling them “political.” The Governor’s office, which did not participate in the hearings, noted that the Republican-controlled State Senate confirmed all of the members of the Board of Parole