Seward Holds News Conference On Bail Reform

State Senator James Seward joined with other state lawmakers yesterday at the Otsego County Correctional Facility, in the Town of Middlefield for a “Repeal Bail Reform” Rally.

Seward made the following statement:

"Protecting the public is one of the most important responsibilities of government, and when a crime has been committed, the victim, not the criminal, should be our first concern. The disastrous new bail/discovery laws have completely reversed those priorities, endangering communities and empowering repeat offenders – while also forcing new costs on taxpayers. The ill-advised reforms need to be scrapped immediately so we can tilt the scales of justice away from criminals and back toward the law-abiding."

Seward says any chance to make changes may have to wait for the passage of the 2021 budget by the end of March.