If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.  by Tom Reynolds

Assemblyman Phil Palmesano sends us some interesting statistics on paroles, which give us a clue as to why New York State can’t stop digging further into a hole with its crime problem.

From https://doccs.ny.gov/parole-board-dispositions-doccs-facilities-2022

• In 2013, initial parole release rates were 19% for class A violent felonies and 8% for all other legislative violent felonies.

• In 2014, parole release rates were 19% for all initial interviews and 21% for reappearance interviews.

• In 2021, initial parole release rates were 46% for class A1 violent felony (Murder, Kidnapping) and legislative violent felony offenses.

• In 2022, parole release rates were 38.4% for all initial interviews and 37.1% for reappearance interviews.

In the NY legislature’s unending quest to make being convicted of a crime easier on criminals:

Bills have been introduced in the NY Assembly (A2035) and the NY Senate (S2423) that would allow incarcerated individuals who are 55 years and older and who have also already served 15 years in prison to appear before the parole board for potential release, regardless of the crime they committed. (The lesson here gangbangers: don’t murder anyone until you are 40.)

According to bill’s sponsor memo “rearrest rates for older adults released from prison are vanishingly small, particularly for those originally convicted of serious crimes.”

However, that is not what statistics show.

Per http://ww2.nycourts.gov/pretrial-release-data-33136

In NYS (1/1/2020 – 6/30/2022):

• 40,585 offenders over 55 were arrested for a felony or a misdemeanor.

• 10,620 were arrested for a felony.

• 8,326 (78.4%) of those arrested for a felony had either a prior or a pending felony or misdemeanor arrest

• 3,391 (32%) of those arrested for a felony had a prior violent felony conviction.

Assemblyman Palmesano also sends us statistics on youth offenses.

According to DCJS statistics, in 2021:

3,303 16- and 17-year- old Adolescent Offenders arrested for a felony*
257 received a felony conviction.
114 received sentences in excess of one year imprisonment (confined in OCFS facilities)

*Of those felony arrests:

• 112 arrested for homicide;

• 80 arrested for sex offenses;

• 587 arrested for firearms/dangerous weapon offenses;

• 691arrested for robbery;

• 213 arrested for Burglary

• 20 for making a terrorist threat

• as well as over 1,600 additional felony arrests!

Over 83% of Adolescent Offender Cases were removed to Family Court/Probation Intake, escaping criminal liability, entirely!

Since there is no conviction, numerous crimes are being committed that go unreported, further questioning the accuracy of the crime statistics provided by DCJS and OCA.