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Articles by Jamaal T. Bailey
Albany’s justice reform agenda: Raise the Age needs funding for it to work
Seven years ago, New York closed a shameful chapter of our history, becoming one of the last two states in the nation to stop prosecuting 16- and 17-year-olds as adults. New York’s Raise the Age law, passed with bipartisan support in 2017, moves most of our young people’s cases through Family Court, focusing on rehabilitation rather than criminalization.
NY Clean Slate Act would provide fair chances to strengthen community Original
It’s no secret that too many New Yorkers struggle to make ends meet. The cost of living is skyrocketing, and despite positive gains in job numbers, countless New Yorkers face significant obstacles in their path to achieving the American Dream. The dream should be available to everyone. Yet, for many New Yorkers, including the ranks of many incarcerated New Yorkers looking to start anew, this dream is often deferred.
Commentary: Protect youth during police interrogations
Legislation would ensure young people consult with a lawyer before they waive their rights. Jamaal Bailey and Latoya Joyner May 18, 2023 Imagine getting a call from the police that your teenager is at the police precinct. As you make your way to the station, you are frightened and filled with questions. What happened? Is anyone hurt? Why do the police want to question my child? What should I do? Affluent parents will immediately call a lawyer, who will step in and protect their child’s rights.
Commentary: Here's a simple way to improve public safety — make prison phone calls free
Inmates who stay connected to their loved ones and their support systems are less likely to end up back in prison. Jamaal T. Bailey and Harvey Epstein March 28, 2023 In New York county jails, a 15-minute call can run as much as $3.15. Today, New York families spend more than $47 million annually to stay in touch with their loved ones in our state prisons and county jails. The true cost is much higher.
New York must pay better for assigned counsel
Since joining the New York State Senate in 2017 and gaining the majority in 2018, my colleagues and I have tirelessly fought to ensure that every New Yorker has meaningful access to justice. Whether you’re from Co-op City in the Bronx, the Capital Region, our beautiful North Country, or as far west as Erie County and the city of Buffalo, you should never be at risk of losing a basic right or liberty merely because you are poor and cannot afford legal counsel.
Young New Yorkers Require a Right To Counsel Before Interrogations
By Jamaal Bailey, Latoya Joyner and Dawne Mitchell From left: Dawne Mitchell, attorney-in-charge of the Juvenile Rights Practice at The Legal Aid Society; Latoya Joyner, New York Assemblymember for 77th district in the Bronx; Jamaal Bailey, New York State Senator for the 36th District in the Bronx.
No reason to delay legal system reforms
Gov. Andrew Cuomo in April signed into law sweeping changes to our broken criminal legal system that were passed as part of New York state's budget. As the primary Senate and Assembly sponsors of this legislation, we believe that the new bail, discovery and speedy trial laws will completely transform the experience of impacted people and communities that have long been victims of our discriminatory system.
New York needs a new criminal discovery law
The state’s current ‘blindfold law’ unfairly disadvantages defendants. In August 2015, Terrell Gills was arraigned on charges for a crime that he did not commit. He spent the next 18 months of his life in jail because of New York’s antiquated discovery laws. If he were arrested almost anywhere else in the country, even in North Carolina or Texas, his defense team would have had access to basic evidence that would have proven his innocence and spared him jail time and a trial.
2018 Session Countdown: Education
New York’s elected officials may have learned a lesson – don’t mess with the state’s teachers. This session, the state Legislature is coalescing around a bill to decouple public school teacher evaluations from state test scores. It already passed in the Assembly and has garnered broad, bipartisan support in the state Senate. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signaled that he would sign the bill if it was passed by the state Legislature.
Harold Levy, an educational Robin Hood who helped the city that raised him
In a moment when the search for heroism and courage in our leaders is ever more elusive, comes the inspiring tale of a true New York public servant. As Harold Levy – the champion of underprivileged students, the man who stood up to Rudy Giuliani and won him over – faces his mortality, he is the profile in courage we need now. From humble beginnings in Washington Heights as the only son of Holocaust refugees, he achieved greatness in the largest public education system in the world.
The Staten Island 100 continued, 51-100
Title: Former Advisory Council ChairmanOrganization: Staten Island Salvation Army
A 3-point plan to increase diversity in NYC’s specialized high schools
Attending the Bronx High School of Science not only afforded me a world-class education, but an incredible opportunity to attend school as part of a diverse student body. Unfortunately, many students from black and brown communities are denied that opportunity due to a lack of resources that is of no fault of their own, or their families. In the 1990s, African-American and Latino enrollment in New York City’s specialized high schools was much higher than it is today.
Armed school officers could turn the state Senate blue
On March 5, three weeks after 17 people were killed in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, New York state legislators had their standoff. State lawmakers introduced bills in response to the massacre, with Republicans emphasizing school safety measures and Democrats pushing for more gun control. Some of the bills may become law, and others won’t, as legislative leaders and the governor make deals over the coming weeks.
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