This week, we asked readers who they believe when it comes to the bail reform debate, since progressives and some public defenders allege the rise in crime is not linked to bail reform, while the mayor and law enforcement allege it is.

 

“The people that are actually saying that it does… I mean they become brazen if you’re not going to punish people. As anybody, they’re going to become opportunists and to me, bail reform is contributing to the increase in crime. The DAs, the judges, they should be held accountable too and they should be removed. You can say [crime] it’s worse than [in] the 80s. I used to walk around… I’m 43 and I’ve never seen these kinds of robberies. You never heard of it like this with these types of numbers. Every time you turn on the news there’s someone getting robbed, and I used to walk around The Bronx back in the 80s and the 90s and I’m more concerned today.”

Rasheed White,

Westchester

 

“Bail reform should be eliminated; for those that do the crime, they should pay the time. They should stay in jail. People with gun charges and charged with more serious crimes should not be released and they should stay inside. The crime is getting higher because there’s no discipline. They’re getting released on bail and come out to do the same thing all over again, because they’re taking the system as a joke. The politicians and the judges should be held accountable.”

Michelle Sanchez,

Bedford Park

 

“The bail reform is to blame for the rise in crime. The reason is because there’s no consequence for anyone’s actions, for those who have repeated offences. There’s so much more forgiveness in the court system for the criminal that there’s no justice for the victim. When the legislators went into bringing in bail reform because an individual had died in jail and we understand that, that the system is broken, but to understand that the system is broken, and then they went ahead with bail reform, and to release everyone and everybody without taking a look at their records… Some have the longest records ever and they get to come out of jail and continue their activities. It’s not the judges. The judges are appointed by the elected officials, so they’re not going to go against the Democratic Party.”

Irene Estrada,

Pelham Gardens

 

“I mostly blame the system and the judges because they keep letting the criminals out of jail. I think the politicians need to tweak the bail reform law. The politicians and the judges are wrong, but mostly it’s the judges because they keep letting the criminals out of jail and the law system is already messed up. I’m upset that a person used to be held on Rikers for long periods of time for petty crimes, but now they should be more in the middle and hold people accountable for the more serious crimes.”

Raven Chesnut,

Norwood

“I do see an increase in crime but honestly, crime is going to happen regardless. So, whether you impose bail or whether you have no bail, crime is always going to be around. I do think [the rise in crime] is due to the pandemic and the economy. I think it involves a lot. I don’t think it’s just whether there’s no bail or not. People are all about success. A lot of people are just going to point their finger at whoever they want to take the blame. That’s the one thing about people, not everybody wants to take responsibility for their own actions. They don’t want to take accountability, so it’s easy to point the finger at someone else and let them worry about it.”

Venice Turraine,

Norwood

 

Editor’s Note: Irene Estrada is the Democratic female district leader for Assembly District 80.