New York tosses jail time for most minor parole violations

New York tosses jail time for most minor parole violations

FILE - In this June 19, 2009 file photo, The Manhattan Detention Complex, also known as the Tombs, is photographed in New York. The Manhattan Detention Complex, nicknamed “The Tombs,” and the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island will stop housing inmates before the end of November 2020. The facilities currently house about 750 people combined. (AP Photo/Yanina Manolova)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New Yorkers will be able to avoid jail time for most nonviolent parole violations under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The law signed Friday largely eliminates New York’s practice of incarcerating people for technical parole violations that include being late to an appointment with a parole officer, missing curfew, changing a residence without approval, and failing to attend a mandated program. Supporters say incarcerating people for technical parole violations is costly and fuels recidivism. The Republican minority in the Legislature has accused Democrats of focusing more on perpetrators of crimes than victims. 

Photo: FILE – In this June 19, 2009 file photo, The Manhattan Detention Complex, also known as the Tombs, is photographed in New York. (AP Photo/Yanina Manolova)