Adding a "dangerousness" standard to New York's law that largely ended cash bail requirements for many criminal charges would be too subjective, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Wednesday.
At the same time, Stewart-Cousins confirmed New York City Mayor Eric Adams was told by top Democrats in the state Legislature during his trip to Albany this week that major changes to the bail law that he is seeking remain a non-starter for them.
“We did assure the mayor that we would continue to work collaboratively,” she said on WNYC in an interview.
The comments come after Adams on Tuesday blasted the coverage of his trip to Albany, arguing the conversation went far better than had been reported.
But for Democrats who hold majorities in the state Senate and Assembly, the changes to the bail law Adams wants -- allowing judges to determine if a defendant is too dangerous to be released and not remanded to a local jail -- are unlikely to gain enough support to pass.
Making that change would "exacerbate a problem we're trying to alleviate," Stewart-Cousins said.
Limiting cash bail to a list of violent felony offenses was meant to reduce the number of people in local jails awaiting trial. But a spike in violent crime in recent months has led to calls for making further changes to the law.
"The reality is there is a national spike in crime," Stewart-Cousins said. "It's not just here."