Abusers in New York are escaping punishment due to the state’s lenient “discovery” rules and the politicians who support them.
Last week, a Manhattan judge dropped a case against a man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and humiliated her in front of his friends over a minor technicality.
As a result, the victim was unable to obtain a restraining order to prevent further attacks and had to relocate due to persistent harassment.
The critical mistake made by prosecutors?
They neglected to disclose information about one of the arresting officers who had a minor incident where an inmate briefly escaped.
It may sound absurd, but New York’s 2019 discovery “reforms” mandate that prosecutors must provide a plethora of irrelevant evidence to the defense within 30 days, including all disciplinary records of the officers involved.
If the defense can demonstrate that prosecutors overlooked any detail, no matter how insignificant, the accused goes free — leaving victims without justice.
Governor Kathy Hochul aims to restore some sanity by not dismissing cases where defense attorneys fail to prove how the lack of disclosure harmed the defendant.
However, progressive lawmakers in the Legislature resist this sensible change, showing little concern for the detrimental impact of the current laws on crime victims.
Defense attorneys have taken advantage of these rules: Dismissals due to technicalities have increased by 455% since the law was enacted in 2019.
Due to the overwhelming burden of compliance, prosecutors are forced to concentrate on the most severe cases, leading to a 26% decline in domestic violence prosecutions and a 75% drop in convictions for misdemeanors.
DA offices are simply unable to handle the extensive requirements for every case, resulting in more cases being dismissed or never prosecuted.
This is the ultimate goal — progressives want more cases thrown out or ignored, regardless of the impact on victims.
Thus, a victim who bravely steps forward to report her abuser and provide evidence of his guilt is left vulnerable once again.
This is the consequence of laws that prioritize criminals over victims.
If these laws remain unaltered, it is evident that “progressives” value abusers more than those they victimize.
