State Senator Betty Little joined her Republican colleagues at a press conference in Albany today to advocate for a package of bills that would reform New York State’s parole system to keep violent criminals behind bars longer and ease the parole process for victims and their families.
“Anyone who has been a crime victim can speak to its life-altering impact,” said Senator Betty Little. “It’s important to me that we, as a State Legislature, do everything possible to support victims and their families and to ensure that justice is served to the greatest extent possible.”
Included in the “Victim’s Justice Agenda” is legislation (S.1995) sponsored by Little that would require life imprisonment without parole for someone convicted of murder in the first degree. Little introduced the legislation in response to a double murder in Glens Falls in 2017.
“I cannot imagine the horror that MaryEllen Monroe, a constituent of mine, confronted when she discovered the lifeless bodies of her daughter, Crystal, and granddaughter, Lilly, on the kitchen floor of their home,” said Little.
“Crystal, 33-years-old, and 4-year-old Lilly were intentionally and brutally murdered. There is no second chance for them, but there will be for their killer when he is up for parole. Murder in the first degree does not warrant leniency. It calls for the most severe penalty possible in New York, life without parole. Last year, we passed this legislation in the Senate. I am asking my Democratic colleagues to stand up for victims, for their families and for justice by helping us pass this legislation again.”
Other legislation included in the package would: require a parole board to review impact statements prior to a parole hearing; ensure the confidentiality of crime victim statements; require the retaking of parolees who fail to adhere to the terms of their parole; and, impose a life sentence for persistent offenders convicted of multiple violent felonies.
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