{"id":420076,"date":"2022-03-23T01:52:34","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T22:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/nys-speedy-trial-reforms-are-costing-das-cases-and-staffers\/"},"modified":"2022-03-23T01:52:34","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T22:52:34","slug":"nys-speedy-trial-reforms-are-costing-das-cases-and-staffers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nys-speedy-trial-reforms-are-costing-das-cases-and-staffers\/","title":{"rendered":"#NY&#8217;s &#8216;speedy trial&#8217; reforms are costing DAs cases and staffers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5653525bf\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5653525bf\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nys-speedy-trial-reforms-are-costing-das-cases-and-staffers\/#%E2%80%9CNYs_%E2%80%98speedy_trial_reforms_are_costing_DAs_cases_and_staffers%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;NY&#8217;s &#8216;speedy trial&#8217; reforms are costing DAs cases and staffers&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CNYs_%E2%80%98speedy_trial_reforms_are_costing_DAs_cases_and_staffers%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;NY&#8217;s &#8216;speedy trial&#8217; reforms are costing DAs cases and staffers&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>State prosecutors say scores of criminal cases are being tossed thanks to a stringent 2019 \u201creform\u201d statute that sets tight deadlines on producing evidence \u2014 and frustrated staffers are quitting left and right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really bogged down the system immensely,\u201d a Big <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>le prosecutor told The Post of the restrictive reg.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCases are getting dismissed because of technicalities\u201d caused by the unreasonable statute \u2014 which has turned assistant district attorneys into \u201cbasically paralegals,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t have time to think about the case,\u201d the source said, accusing the law of \u201cdestroying the profession.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re just chasing papers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At issue is a \u201cspeedy trial\u201d component of the state\u2019s controversial 2019 criminal-justice reforms, which requires prosecutors to submit all their evidence by a strict deadline.<\/p>\n<p>The law sets deadlines for \u201cdiscovery\u201d \u2014 materials prosecutors are required to turn over to defense lawyers \u2014 of no longer than 20 days from the time a defendant is arraigned if they are in jail and 35 days if they are free pending the charges.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/courtroom.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Courtroom\" class=\"wp-image-21620750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/courtroom.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/courtroom.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/courtroom.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The law sets the discovery period for prosecutors to turn evidence over to the defense at 20 days after the defendant is arraigned if they are in jail and 35 days if they are free. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prosecutors can argue for an additional 30 days if the evidence is voluminous.<br \/>For traffic offenses and municipal code violations, the deadline is 15 days.<\/p>\n<p>But prosecutors say that means all the evidence, no matter how seemingly trivial or irrelevant to the case, has to be dug up.<\/p>\n<p>In one domestic-violence case, a prosecutor did not submit a transcript of a second 911 call by the victim, thinking it wasn\u2019t relevant to the case, sources said.<\/p>\n<p>The deadline for evidence came and went, and the charges against the suspect were then dismissed over the left-out transcript.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/crime-scene-6.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Crime Scene\" class=\"wp-image-21620772\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/crime-scene-6.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/crime-scene-6.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/crime-scene-6.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The Dutchess County DA\u2019s office had to defer 30 percent of its cases because of the discovery rules. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In another domestic-violence case, this one involving a warrant, all of the evidence seized was submitted to the defense, but the transcript of the in-court conversation over obtaining the warrant was not.<\/p>\n<p>That case was dismissed on the technicality, the source said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis new law has made DAs pick which fire to put out,\u201d said defense lawyer Michael Discioarro, a former assistant district attorney in The Bronx.<\/p>\n<p>In upstate Dutchess County, the district attorney\u2019s office was so backed up it was forced to defer 30 percent of its cases \u201cbecause of the new arduous discovery rules,\u201d according to a state Senate report released earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>The additional grunge work over the statutory requirements has also cost district attorneys throughout the Empire State hundreds of staffers \u2014 including ADAs.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>In testimony to the City Council last week, Bronx DA Darcel Clark griped that \u201cthe rise in felony cases, coupled with stringent discovery requirements, result in a workload that is leading to a marked increase in attrition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clark said her office alone lost 96 lawyers and 51 professional staffers during the 2021 fiscal year \u2014 and up to 104 attorneys and 90 staffers by the end of February this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFormer staff have cited the responsibilities of discovery, managing the backlog of cases, and increased night and weekend shifts among their main reasons for leaving the office,\u201d Clark told the council.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are in tears telling me that they love the work they do for the Bronx community,\u201d she said. \u201cBut now the job is overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In one example of the Albany-induced new workload, Clark cited an assault against a borough store owner, which sent 28 cops responding to the scene.<\/p>\n<p>Only eight officers actually entered the store, and eight others remained outside \u2014 with the remaining 12 sent back on patrol after the arrest.<\/p>\n<p>Under the statute, Clark said, prosecutors had to collect bodycam footage and memo books from all 28 officers, regardless of whether they went in the store, remained at the scene or were in any way involved in the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must review, redact and share the footage with defense within 20 days because the defendant is incarcerated,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThe inability to meet these expansive requirements has caused delays and even dismissals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A rep for Queens DA Melinda Katz said Tuesday that the top prosecutor supports \u201cearly and comprehensive discovery\u201d \u2014 but believes it should be limited \u201cto relevant and material information.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/kathy-hochul-7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Kathy Hochul\" class=\"wp-image-21620803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/kathy-hochul-7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/kathy-hochul-7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/kathy-hochul-7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed rolling back some of the evidentiary reforms. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Queens prosecutors dismissed 21.9 percent of felonies before trial in 2021, up from 8.9 percent in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>While the COVID pandemic had a part in the increase, the state reforms \u201calso played a consequential role,\u201d Katz\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a memo last week, proposed rolling back some of the 2019 reforms, including those related to the evidentiary requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Among the proposals is a stipulation that allows prosecutors to be in \u201csubstantial compliance\u201d with the discovery requirements rather than to have to produce all of the evidence in a case, no matter how loosely connected.<\/p>\n<p>Hochul also wants to allow cases to proceed if district attorneys turn over only \u201clocatable\u201d material, and to exclude traffic violations from speedy trial requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Hochul\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Bernadette Hogan<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/22\/nys-speedy-trial-reforms-are-costing-das-cases-and-staffers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;NY&#8217;s &#8216;speedy trial&#8217; reforms are costing DAs cases and staffers&#8221; State prosecutors say scores of criminal cases are being tossed thanks to a stringent 2019 \u201creform\u201d statute that sets tight deadlines on producing evidence \u2014 and frustrated staffers are quitting left and right. \u201cIt\u2019s really bogged down the system immensely,\u201d a Big Apple prosecutor told&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":420077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/newspress-collage-21616660-1647988643072.png?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[127057,71434,72202,3885,71617],"class_list":["post-420076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-3-22-22","tag-courts","tag-criminal-justice-reforms","tag-new-york","tag-prosecutors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}