Suspects busted on misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies will walk free — in some cases without arraignment — under legislation that’s part of the 2020 budget deal.
Lawmakers agreed to eliminate cash bail for low-level crimes as part of a package of criminal-justice reform measures tucked into the budget bills after earlier attempts to get them through the Legislature failed.
Other measures aim to reduce the amount of time before cases are brought to trial and will prevent prosecutors from withholding evidence until the day a trial begins.
Defendants will also be allowed to review whatever evidence the prosecution has before pleading guilty.
The bail-reform measure was sparked by the case of Kalief Browder, who spent three years on Rikers Island — including two years in solitary confinement — after his 2010 arrest at age 16 for the alleged theft of a backpack.
The case against him was ultimately dropped, but he committed suicide after his release.