NYS Attorney General James said its time to re-examine bail reform

BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York State Attorney General Tish James said it’s time to re-examine the state’s bail reform laws.

She made the comment during an interview with our NBC affiliate in Buffalo. James has supported bail reform and has spent the bulk of her term in office arguing against the elimination of cashless bail. Now that view appears to be changing.

She said she understands the concerns of reform opponents and suggests a broader approach to addressing crime.

“We cannot talk about bail reform in isolation of all the other issues that we need to discuss, including but not limited to the lack of pre-trial services for individuals,” James said. “The fact that we don’t have an adequate number of social workers and case workers and parole officers, we should be focusing on gangs. Gangs is a major major issue.”

James is up for re-election in November and is facing a challenge from Michael Henry. Henry is critical of bail reform saying: “thanks to bail reform, which has created a revolving door for violent and recidivist criminals, crime rates have risen across the state.”

According to the Siena Poll released this week, James currently has an 11-point lead over Henry.

Here’s the full interview on WGRZ in Buffalo: