Mayor Eric Adams.
Credit score: Ed Reed/Mayoral Pictures Workplace.
Mayor Eric Adams scored two main coverage wins within the month-late $254 billion state price range deal between Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York legislative leaders that she introduced on Monday night time.
“I vowed to make common-sense changes to our discovery laws to keep dangerous criminals from walking free over frivolous technical errors,” Hochul instructed reporters. “I vowed to get more New Yorkers who are suffering from mental illness the compassionate care they need…Well, we got it all done.”
The governor and legislative leaders — Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Chief Andrea Stewart-Cousins — nonetheless should hash out the ultimate particulars of the deal within the coming days, Hochul mentioned. Then it have to be accepted by each homes of the state legislature and signed by the governor.
Adams, in a press release, mentioned, “We are pleased with the promising announcements laid out by Governor Hochul today and look forward to hearing more details and reviewing the final budget language once it is approved by the Legislature.”
“I vowed to make common-sense changes to our discovery laws to keep dangerous criminals from walking free over frivolous technical errors,” Gov. Kathy Hochul mentioned of the tentative price range dal introduced on April 28, 2025. “I vowed to get more New Yorkers who are suffering from mental illness the compassionate care they need…Well, we got it all done.”Darren McGee/ Workplace of Governor Kathy Hochul
Discovery legal guidelines
With out going into the main points, Hochul mentioned the adjustments to discovery — the method by which prosecutors share proof with the protection earlier than a trial — are designed to crack down on recidivism by making certain that those that commit crimes are usually not launched from jail on “technicalities” solely to commit extra.
The state’s discovery legal guidelines have been reformed by the state legislature in 2019 to make sure prosecutors shared proof with defendents on a stringent timeline, so they didn’t go to trial solely having seen the case towards them proper earlier than.
Adams and town’s 5 district attorneys have argued that the tweaks are essential to hold repeat offenders behind bars.
“”Our amendments will forestall circumstances from being dismissed over minor prosecution omissions that don’t truly damage the protection’s case,” Hochul mentioned. “These common-sense changes protect defendants’ rights, which is important to me, while ensuring that victims get the justice they deserve.”
Nevertheless, prison justice advocates have raised considerations that the adjustments quantity to a rollback that may as soon as once more make it more durable for defendants to see the proof prosecutors have towards them properly earlier than they go to trial.
“The people we serve are entitled to see the full weight of the evidence pending against them, in a timely manner — a basic principle of fairness and due process, and the bare minimum necessary to ensure a zealous defense,” the Authorized Support Society mentioned in a press release.
Strengthening ‘commitment’
Though Hochul additionally didn’t talk about the adjustments to involuntary removals intimately, she mentioned they’re broadening the definition to incorporate people who can’t care for his or her “basic needs.” Beforehand, solely these discovered to pose an imminent bodily hazard to themselves or others have been topic to involuntary hospitalizations.
“We’ve agreed to clarify and strengthen our involuntary commitment laws,” she mentioned. “This will allow us to connect people in the throes of severe mental illness with the life-saving care that they need and deserve.”
Adams has advocated for the state-level change since 2022 to make it simpler for town to take these with extreme psychological sickness off the streets and get them into psychiatric therapy.
However many critics, together with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Metropolis Council members, have argued Adams has centered an excessive amount of on increasing the apply and will as a substitute increase funding for town’s psychological well being care equipment.
