A08382 Summary:

BILL NOA08382A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S06283
 
SPONSORTedisco (MS)
 
COSPNSRSkartados, Borelli, Palmesano, Barclay, McLaughlin, McDonough, DiPietro, Crouch, Lalor, Raia
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd SS120.10, 120.07, 125.20, 10.00, 70.05 & 70.30, Pen L; amd SS720.10 & 180.75, CP L
 
Relates to certain assault crimes wherein a person is aided or encouraged to strike the victim in the head and cause unconsciousness.
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A08382 Actions:

BILL NOA08382A
 
01/09/2014referred to codes
01/23/2014amend and recommit to codes
01/23/2014print number 8382a
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A08382 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A8382A
 
SPONSOR: Tedisco (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the penal law and the criminal proce- dure law, in relation to assault or aiding or encouraging assault   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: this bill would provide serious penalties for both youth and adults who make a "game" out of a violent assault, sometimes referred to as the "knockout game" wherein partic- ipants (generally a group of two or more youths) choose a vulnerable victim and one member of this group attempts to render the victim uncon- scious with a single blow to the head. This bill would ensure that intentionally rendering someone unconscious by striking that individual on the head and thereby causing physical injury, serious physical injury or death to that person, or aiding or encouraging another participant to engage in this behavior, is treated as the serious crime that it is and eliminating the more lenient treatment that would otherwise be afforded to youths when they commit the violent crimes involved in this "game."   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section one of the bill adds the act of a minor striking an unsuspecting person in the head with the intent to render such person unconscious or aiding or encouraging someone to do the same and as a result causing physical injury or serious physical injury to the crime of Assault in the first degree (a class B violent felony offense). Section two of the bill adds the actions described above, when done with a group of two or more other persons, to the crime of Gang Assault in the first degree, (a class B violent felony offense). Section three of the bill adds the actions described above, when this act results in the death of the victim, to the crime of Manslaughter in the first degree (a class B violent felony offense). Section four of the bill adds the new subsections of Assault first, Gang Assault first and Manslaughter first to the list of crimes that are exempt from being provided with youthful offender status. Section five of the bill adds the new subsections of Assault first, Gang Assault first and Manslaughter first to the list of crimes for which youths aged fourteen and fifteen years old may not be treated as a juve- nile offender. Section six of the bill provides that where a child who is convicted of the new subsections of Assault first, Gang Assault first and Manslaught- er first, would otherwise be sentenced as a juvenile offender, such person shall instead be sentenced in accordance with the adult sentenc- ing framework. Sections seven and eight of the bill allow youths between the ages of 14 and 18, who are convicted of any of the new subsections added by this bill regarding Assault first, Gang Assault first and Manslaughter first to be sentenced up to 25 years imprisonment when serving consecutive sentences. This section also increases to 25 years the maximum consec- utive penalty where one of the crimes is Arson first and kidnapping first. Section nine of the bill provides that before a youth, accused of the above new sections of law, may be removed from criminal court to Family Court for further proceedings the court must find that it is in the interest of justice and that there are mitigating circumstances that bear directly on the commission of the crime; the defendant was not the sole participant in the crime and his or her participation was relative- ly minor (although not so minor as to constitute a defense); or that there are possible deficiencies in proof of the crime. Section ten provides the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: Merlin reports have noted what appears to be a disturbing new trend in crime called the "knockout game" that has taken place in New York and in several other states. In these incidents, one individual within a group will suddenly sucker punch a stranger in the head in an attempt to render the person unconscious. Many victims have been women, immigrants and the elderly. The perpetra- tors are generally young, from early teens into the early twenties, and are in groups where the group encourages the perpetrator to see if he can knock out the victim with one punch to the head. In most cases the victims are not robbed, but it has been reported that the group cele- brates and encourages the attacker where the attack is successful. With- out the encouragement of the group these attacks would not be taking place. This is why this bill holds all the members of the group equally accountable for this crime, not just the individual who actually throws the punch. This legislation will provide sanctions appropriate to the seriousness of the crimes involved. Our youth need to realize that this "game" is a serious crime that puts people at risk of serious injury or death, and that they cannot "get away" with these brutal assaults because of their status as youth. Allowing just a slap on the wrist for this type of violent crime will only encourage the continuation and spread of this activity. The depravity of inflicting serious or even life-threatening injury just for fun needs to be addressed, and those who choose to participate in these cruel attacks must he held accountable. This legislation provides the sufficient sanctions that need to be in place in order to deter people from engaging in this deplorable "game" and to save the vulnerable among us from pain and suffering and even death.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: None   EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately.
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A08382 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         8382--A
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     January 9, 2014
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. TEDISCO, ROSA, SKARTADOS, BORELLI, PALMESANO,
          BARCLAY, McLAUGHLIN, McDONOUGH, DIPIETRO, CROUCH, LALOR, RAIA --  read
          once  and  referred to the Committee on Codes -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  penal  law  and  the criminal procedure law, in

          relation to assault or aiding or encouraging assault
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Subdivision  4  of  section  120.10  of the penal law, as
     2  amended by chapter 791 of the laws of 1967, is amended and a new  subdi-
     3  vision 5 is added to read as follows:
     4    4.  In the course of and in furtherance of the commission or attempted
     5  commission of a felony or of immediate flight therefrom, he or  she,  or
     6  another participant if there be any, causes serious physical injury to a
     7  person other than one of the participants[.]; or
     8    5. Being fourteen years of age or more and with the intent to cause an
     9  unsuspecting  person  to be rendered unconscious, he or she strikes such

    10  person on the head, or he or she aids or encourages another  participant
    11  to  strike  such  person on the head, causing physical injury or serious
    12  physical injury to such person.
    13    § 2. Section 120.07 of the penal law, as added by chapter 647  of  the
    14  laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
    15  § 120.07 Gang assault in the first degree.
    16    A person is guilty of gang assault in the first degree when[,]:
    17    1.  with intent to cause serious physical injury to another person and
    18  when aided by two or more other  persons  actually  present,  he  causes
    19  serious physical injury to such person or to a third person[.]; or
    20    2.  being  fourteen  years old or more and with the intent to cause an

    21  unsuspecting person to be rendered unconscious, and  when  aided  by  or
    22  encouraged  by  two  or  more  other persons actually present, he or she
    23  strikes such person on the head, or he or she aids or encourages another
    24  participant to strike such person on the head, causing  physical  injury
    25  or serious physical injury to such person.
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13180-05-4

        A. 8382--A                          2
 
     1    Gang assault in the first degree is a class B felony.
     2    §  3.  Subdivision  4  of section 125.20 of the penal law, as added by

     3  chapter 477 of the laws of 1990, is amended and a new subdivision  5  is
     4  added to read as follows:
     5    4.  Being eighteen years old or more and with intent to cause physical
     6  injury to a person less than eleven years old, the defendant  recklessly
     7  engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of serious physical injury
     8  to such person and thereby causes the death of such person[.]; or
     9    5. Being fourteen years of age or more and with the intent to cause an
    10  unsuspecting  person  to be rendered unconscious, he or she strikes such
    11  person on the head, or he or she aids or encourages another  participant
    12  to strike such person on the head, causing the death of such person.
    13    §  4. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 720.10 of the criminal

    14  procedure law, as amended by chapter 316 of the laws of 2006, is amended
    15  to read as follows:
    16    (a) the conviction to be replaced by a youthful  offender  finding  is
    17  for  (i)  a  class  A-I or class A-II felony, or (ii) an armed felony as
    18  defined in subdivision forty-one of section 1.20, except as provided  in
    19  subdivision  three  of  this section, or (iii) rape in the first degree,
    20  criminal sexual act in the first degree,  or  aggravated  sexual  abuse,
    21  except as provided in subdivision three of this section, or (iv) assault
    22  in  the first degree as defined in subdivision five of section 120.10 of
    23  the penal law, or (v) gang assault in the first  degree  as  defined  in
    24  subdivision two of section 120.07 of the penal law, or (vi) manslaughter

    25  in  the first degree as defined in subdivision five of section 125.20 of
    26  the penal law, or
    27    § 5. Subdivision 18 of section 10.00 of the penal law, as  amended  by
    28  chapter 7 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
    29    18.  "Juvenile  offender" means (1) a person thirteen years old who is
    30  criminally responsible for acts constituting murder in the second degree
    31  as defined in subdivisions one and two of section 125.25 of this chapter
    32  or such conduct as a sexually motivated felony, where authorized  pursu-
    33  ant to section 130.91 of [the penal law] this chapter; and
    34    (2) a person fourteen or fifteen years old who is criminally responsi-
    35  ble for acts constituting the crimes defined in subdivisions one and two
    36  of section 125.25 (murder in the second degree) and in subdivision three

    37  of such section provided that the underlying crime for the murder charge
    38  is  one  for which such person is criminally responsible; section 135.25
    39  (kidnapping in the first degree); 150.20 (arson in  the  first  degree);
    40  subdivisions  one  [and], two and five of section 120.10 (assault in the
    41  first degree); subdivision two of section 120.07 (gang  assault  in  the
    42  first  degree);  125.20 (manslaughter in the first degree); subdivisions
    43  one and two of section 130.35 (rape in the first  degree);  subdivisions
    44  one and two of section 130.50 (criminal sexual act in the first degree);
    45  130.70  (aggravated  sexual abuse in the first degree); 140.30 (burglary
    46  in the first degree); subdivision one of section 140.25 (burglary in the
    47  second degree); 150.15 (arson in the second degree); 160.15 (robbery  in

    48  the  first  degree);  subdivision  two of section 160.10 (robbery in the
    49  second degree) of this chapter; or section 265.03 of this chapter, where
    50  such machine gun or such firearm is possessed on school grounds, as that
    51  phrase is defined in subdivision fourteen  of  section  220.00  of  this
    52  chapter;  or  defined  in this chapter as an attempt to commit murder in
    53  the second degree or kidnapping in the first degree, or such conduct  as
    54  a sexually motivated felony, where authorized pursuant to section 130.91
    55  of [the penal law] this chapter.

        A. 8382--A                          3
 
     1    §  6. Section 70.05 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdi-
     2  vision 4 to read as follows:
     3    4. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, where a

     4  juvenile offender is convicted of assault in the first degree as defined
     5  in  subdivision five of section 120.10; gang assault in the first degree
     6  as defined in subdivision two of section 120.07; or manslaughter in  the
     7  first  degree  as  defined in subdivision five of section 125.20 of this
     8  chapter, such offender shall be sentenced pursuant to section  70.02  of
     9  this  article;  provided,  that the provisions of this subdivision shall
    10  only apply to juvenile offenders over thirteen years old.
    11    § 7. Paragraph (f) of subdivision 1 of section 70.30 of the penal law,
    12  as added by chapter 481 of the laws of 1978 and relettered by chapter  3
    13  of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
    14    (f) The aggregate maximum term of consecutive sentences imposed upon a

    15  juvenile  offender for two or more crimes, not including a class A felo-
    16  ny,  or assault in the first degree as defined in  subdivision  five  of
    17  section  120.10, gang assault in the first degree as defined in subdivi-
    18  sion two of section 120.07, or  manslaughter  in  the  first  degree  as
    19  defined in subdivision five of section 125.20 of this chapter, committed
    20  before  he  has  reached  the  age  of sixteen, shall, if it exceeds ten
    21  years, be deemed to be ten years. If consecutive indeterminate sentences
    22  imposed upon a juvenile offender include a  sentence  for  the  class  A
    23  felony  of  arson  in  the  first degree [or for the class A felony of],
    24  kidnapping in the first degree, assault in the first degree  as  defined

    25  in  subdivision five of section 120.10, gang assault in the first degree
    26  as defined in subdivision two of section 120.07, or manslaughter in  the
    27  first  degree  as  defined in subdivision five of section 125.20 of this
    28  chapter, then the aggregate maximum term of such sentences shall, if  it
    29  exceeds  [fifteen]  twenty-five years, be deemed to be [fifteen] twenty-
    30  five years. Where the aggregate maximum term of two or more  consecutive
    31  sentences  is  reduced by a calculation made pursuant to this paragraph,
    32  the aggregate minimum period of imprisonment, if it exceeds one-half  of
    33  the aggregate maximum term as so reduced, shall be deemed to be one-half
    34  of the aggregate maximum term as so reduced.
    35    § 8. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 1 of section 70.30 of the penal law,

    36  as  added  by  chapter  481  of  the laws of 1978, is amended to read as
    37  follows:
    38    (d) The aggregate maximum term of consecutive sentences imposed upon a
    39  juvenile offender for two or  more  crimes,  not  including  a  class  A
    40  felony,  assault  in  the first degree as defined in subdivision five of
    41  section 120.10; gang assault in the first degree as defined in  subdivi-
    42  sion  two  of  section  120.07;  or  manslaughter in the first degree as
    43  defined in subdivision five of section 125.20 of this chapter, committed
    44  before he has reached the age of  sixteen,  shall,  if  it  exceeds  ten
    45  years, be deemed to be ten years. If consecutive indeterminate sentences
    46  imposed  upon  a  juvenile  offender  include a sentence for the class A
    47  felony of arson in the first degree [or for  the  class  A  felony  of],

    48  kidnapping  in  the first degree, assault in the first degree as defined
    49  in subdivision five of section 120.10, gang assault in the first  degree
    50  as  defined in subdivision two of section 120.07, or manslaughter in the
    51  first degree as defined in subdivision five of section  125.20  of  this
    52  chapter,  then the aggregate maximum term of such sentences shall, if it
    53  exceeds [fifteen] twenty-five years, be deemed to be  [fifteen]  twenty-
    54  five  years. Where the aggregate maximum term of two or more consecutive
    55  sentences is reduced by a calculation made pursuant to  this  paragraph,
    56  the  aggregate minimum period of imprisonment, if it exceeds one-half of

        A. 8382--A                          4
 

     1  the aggregate maximum term as so reduced, shall be deemed to be one-half
     2  of the aggregate maximum term as so reduced.
     3    § 9. Subdivision 4 of section 180.75 of the criminal procedure law, as
     4  amended  by  chapter  264  of  the  laws  of 2003, is amended to read as
     5  follows:
     6    4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions  two  and  three  of
     7  this  section,  a  local  criminal  court  shall,  at the request of the
     8  district attorney, order removal of an action against a juvenile  offen-
     9  der  to  the  family  court  pursuant to the provisions of article seven
    10  hundred twenty-five of this chapter if, upon consideration of the crite-
    11  ria specified in subdivision two of section 210.43 of this  chapter,  it
    12  is  determined  that  to  do  so  would  be in the interests of justice.
    13  Where, however, the felony complaint charges the juvenile offender  with

    14  murder  in  the  second degree as defined in section 125.25 of the penal
    15  law, rape in the first degree as defined in subdivision one  of  section
    16  130.35  of  the  penal  law,  criminal sexual act in the first degree as
    17  defined in subdivision one of section 130.50 of the penal law,  [or]  an
    18  armed  felony  as  defined  in paragraph (a) of subdivision forty-one of
    19  section 1.20 of this chapter, assault in the first degree as defined  in
    20  subdivision five of section 120.10 of the penal law, gang assault in the
    21  first  degree  as  defined  in  subdivision two of section 120.07 of the
    22  penal law, or manslaughter in the first degree as defined in subdivision
    23  five of section 125.20 of the  penal  law,  a  determination  that  such
    24  action  be removed to the family court shall, in addition, be based upon

    25  a finding of one or  more  of  the  following  factors:  (i)  mitigating
    26  circumstances  that bear directly upon the manner in which the crime was
    27  committed; or (ii) where the defendant was not the sole  participant  in
    28  the  crime,  the defendant's participation was relatively minor although
    29  not so minor as to constitute a defense to  the  prosecution;  or  (iii)
    30  possible deficiencies in proof of the crime.
    31    § 10. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend-
    32  ments  to  paragraph  (f) of subdivision 1 of section 70.30 of the penal
    33  law, made by section seven of this act shall be subject to  the  expira-
    34  tion  and  reversion  of  such  paragraph pursuant to subdivision (d) of
    35  section 74 of chapter 3 of the laws of 1995, as amended, when upon  such
    36  date the provisions of section eight of this act shall take effect.
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