District Attorney- Bad Bail Reform Has Made It Impossible For Me To Do My Job


ALBANY — Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl says criminal justice policy in New York is now so stacked in favor of defendants that he has scratched plans to run for re-election when his current term ends in December 2023, “They have made it almost impossible for me to do my job,” Muehl said of Albany lawmakers Monday when reached at his Cooperstown office Monday by CNHI. “For the first time in my life now, the criminals have the upper hand.”

The past president of the New York State District Attorneys Association, David Soares, the chief prosecutor for Albany County, said Muehl is not alone as a public safety advocate who believes the “criminal justice pendulum” has swung too far.

Changes to New York bail laws, enacted under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have restricted the ability of judges to consider impacts to public safety when deciding on bail issues at criminal arraignments.

Soares said the district attorneys, in the coming legislative session, will try to convince lawmakers to restore the authority of judges to set bail for individuals they believe pose a risk to local communities.

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