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 Making New York Safer

    New York's streets and communities are safer for our families and children than they have been in decades.. Legislative efforts have targeted reducing violent crimes,  making our public schools and college campuses safer, cracking down on domestic violence and drunk driving, and creating new and more effective legal safeguards to protect our children.

    Some of these measures have included reenactment of the death penalty, sentence reforms  ending parole for violent felons, and tougher laws  on rape, sex and child abuse. Improving the security at schools and colleges has been a major initiative and will need to be reviewed for effectiveness
on an on-going basis.

     New York became the 38th state to enact a capital punishment law, capping a decades-long effort  to reinstate this common-sense penalty.  New York's soaring murder rate during the 1980s made clear that existing penalties, which included mandatory parole release even for violent criminals, were not sufficient to deter and punish vicious killers.  Now prosecutors, judges and juries have the option of sentencing a killer to death by lethal injection, or an optional penalty of life imprisonment without any possibility of parole.

    A more sensible criminal justice system was achieved by  enactment of "truth in sentencing" reforms eliminating  parole for repeat violent felons. Additionally, the Senate reforms established the state's first prison set aside for drug criminals, which provides treatment and rehabilitation services and reduces incarceration costs to taxpayers. (I am also backing changes to the "Rockefeller Drug
laws" primarily on the pragmatic basis they are not effective for the purpose originally sought)

    Some of the most horrific crimes involve violent sexual assaults usually against women and children. The 2000 Sexual Assault Reform Act dramatically increased penalties for sexual assaults, created new penalties for the use of "date rape" drugs, and, in response "wilding" cases in New York City and other parts of the state, created a new crime of "forcible touching" to punish these vile attacks against women. There is a separate description of the major and overdue new law to aim the full force of the law at the sexual predator.

    Criminal justice experts estimate than one million women, and another 300,000 men are victims of stalking each year, yet state laws had been inadequate to deter and punish this  crime. A 1999 law created first-ever criminal penalties for stalking and empowers prosecutors to take action in such cases, including those that involve violence or threats against health care clinics or religious facilities. These new penalties will help police crack down on this insidious crime that uses terror and fear as its principal weapons.

    The most significant advance in criminal investigation in this century has been the development of technology that allows tracing suspects through their unique genetic code, or DNA.  The database was expanded in 1999 and 2000 to include nearly every serious violent crime, thereby allowing law enforcement to identify recidivist criminals more quickly so that fewer people become victims.

  Crime Victims Remembered

    Violent crime leaves a devastating mark on its victims that can last a lifetime. Yet it is through the sacrifice and courage of victims and their survivors that effective laws are enacted to protect all of society. Recently, a number of critical public safety measures were enacted to honor victims of violence and the courageous efforts of their families to protect others.
                                                     JENNA'S LAW 

    Jenna's Law, named for a young nursing student brutally murdered by a    parolee, eliminates parole for all violent felons. Similar measures were passed in earlier years by the Senate Majority, but it took intense public lobbying from Jenna's family and other crime victims to gain support from the Assembly needed to enact the measure into law.

                                            MEGAN"S LAW

         Megan's Law is named for seven-year-old Megan Kanka who was abducted and         murdered by  a  neighbor whose criminal past as a repeat sex offender was unknown to citizens in  his  community.  By focusing a spotlight on their tragedy, Megan's family convinced states throughout the  country to enact laws requiring community notification of a sex offender's  whereabouts.

                                                        ELISA's LAW

         Elisa's Law is named for a six-year-old victim of child abuse who escaped the protective
shield of   child protective agencies. "Elisa's Law" lifts the veil of secrecy in child abuse
cases to ensure greater accountability in the child welfare system.


                                         Laws in  2001

    The attack on the World Trade Center has resulted in several laws to enhance the
protection of New Yorkers.  Some of these and other  measures enacted are 

    Making Funds Of Convicted Person Available To Crime Victims. C 62, Laws of 2001, enhances the ability of crime victims to be paid for injuries and expenses related to a criminal act by extending statute of limitations to recover money and property from a convicted person.

    Penalties For A False Bomb and False Bomb Threat. C 244, Laws of 2001 makes the placing of a false bomb or the reporting of a false bomb threat in a sports stadium or arena, mass transportation facility or an enclosed shopping mall a Class E felony.

    Prohibits Criminal Use Of A Bullet Proof Vest. C 317, Laws of 2001 prohibits the use of a bullet proof vest during the commission of a crime with a rifle or a shotgun.

                                    World Trade Center (Terrorism):

        Payments Related To The World Trade Center Attack. C 296 Laws of 2001 appropriates $5.5 billion in Federal and State funding for payments related to the World Trade Center Attack will help alleviate some of the human and financial suffering caused by this tragic event.

        Allow New York City Transitional Finance Authority To Issue e Bonds. C 297 Laws of 2001 allows the New York City Transitional Finance Authority to issue up to $2.5 billion in additional bonding for some of the costs of the terrorist attack in New York City.

        Enacts The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. C 300 Laws of 2001 enacts the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 which establishes severe criminal penalties for a crime of terrorism, soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism, terrorist threats and hindering the prosecution of terrorism. The law creates six penal law offenses and establishes penalties from Class D and C violent felony penalties up to the death penalty depending on the severity of the offense.

        Increase Penalties For False Report Or False Bomb. Chapter 301 of the Laws of 2001 increases the penalties for falsely reporting an incident or placing a false bomb. The legislation increases the penalty of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree from a Class B to a Class A misdemeanor. It also increases the false reporting of an incident in the second degree from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The legislation increases the penalties for each successive degree offense up to the next punishment level.