Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright held an informal press conference Friday morning at the jail, to criticize aspects of a proposed law which amends the Juvenile Justice Act. He said the legislation was hastily drafted and leaves DAs out of the loop for certain serious criminal prosecutions.
Currently a NY prosecutor has discretion over whether to charge a juvenile as an adult, under certain circumstances. But if the new law passes in two weeks, that will all change in 2017, and offenders under age 21 can be automatically placed into the Family Court system as juveniles.
Included in the law are felonies such as rape, heroin sales, and domestic violence. Criminal records could be later expunged. Furthermore, juvenile rapists would be exempt from sex offender registration, Carnright said.
The aw would mandate separate detention facilities for juveniles on a much larger scale, without clear funding sources, and severely limit how underage suspects could be questioned by authorities in the future.
Carnight said that many of the reforms already exist under the current system, however the new rules would exclude judges and DAs from the process altogether.
Although he supports many aspects contained in the bill, and agrees with its general principles, Carnright says the law goes too far. “The pendulum has swung too far into the area where I think we are taking away protections that we now have,’ he explained.
“I would table the bill, and then let’s sit down and talk intelligently about what parts of the bill are really good and can go forward, and which portions of the bill perhaps we pull back from,” Carnright said.
The bill was introduced two weeks ago as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s upcoming budget, and could quickly be approved if nobody carefully examines its 166 pages of legalese, Carnight warned. He called the proposed changes “seismic.”
“This doesn’t have to be a jump off the cliff, all-in thing,” Carnight observed. “We could start with a portion of the bill, for instance misdemeanors,” he noted. Carnight is drafting a letter to state legislators detailing his concerns, to be sent later today.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIj1PI4NNKY
Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at the first NY HAB Summit at SUNY New pALTZ, Tues. Feb.. 27, 2018. Hundreds of scientists gathered to figure out how to combat a mysterious toxic slime plaguing New York lakes and drinking water supplies.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAqDk2_ygVo
Hudson Valley officials unite with activists against fracking
Several of the region's most noteworthy politicians have offered support in the fight against hydraulic fracturing, a controversial gas mining technique known to pollute water supplies.
Hudson Valley United Against Fracking held a kickoff event Tuesday morning at the Ulster County Office Building, to urge a moratorium on fracking.
Former congressman Maurice Hinchey was joined by state senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, state assembly members Frank Skartados and Didi Barrett, New Paltz town supervisor Susan Zimet, Ulster County executive Mike Hein, and a host of environmental organizations.
They were accompanied by dozens of local "fractivists," pleading for Gov. Cuomo to delay gas drilling until independent scientific environmental studies are completed.
Large deposits of natural gas exist deep within the shale below upstate NY, representing a financial boon for the energy industry.
"Everywhere fracking has been allowed, the process has contaminated their water, polluted their air, and destroyed their land," indicated Hinchey.
"I have been fighting to protect our state from polluters for nearly 40 years. Now Gov. Cuomo is dealing with one of the most contentious environmental issues that we have ever seen," Hinchey said.
"Governor Cuomo is to be commended for taking a thoughtful approach to fracking, rather than rushing in, like so many other states. And I hope he will continue in that course," the retired congressman added.
"We're talking about our children, and our children's children -- we're having a conversation about whether or not we're going to poison them. It's absurd," maintained Hein.
"I'm incredibly proud as the Ulster County executive, to be part of the Hudson Valley, a place has turned out to be the conscience of New York State," Hein said. "But I will be the proudest when we can once and for all in NY State that we will not play games with our future," he noted.
"We are going to leave this planet like we found it, for generations to come, and generations after that," Hein said.
"Why are we continuing to rely on finite resources, that are also threatening to destroy our very existence," asked Skartados. "Why are we contemplating playing Russian Roulette with the same very elements that created us -- water, air, soil, food. Haven't we learned enough from the Hudson River?"
Skartados' remarks touched upon the underlying issue of renewable energy alternatives which preclude the need for environmentally destructive energy exploration.
Songwriter Natalie Merchant, a local resident, expressed her concerns about fracking while offering copies of a short documentary featuring musical performances from a recent State of the State protest in Albany, titled Dear Governor Cuomo.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzXb6NHm7xE
Dr. Biran Obach, professor of sociology at SUNY New Paltz, speaks to rally at Not My president Day, 2-20-2017. He is the author of Organic Struggle, and creator of the Trumpty Dumpty effigy atop the cardboard wall.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9LjSRILcqQ