Assemblymember Anthony Brindisi’s (D-Utica) legislation to strengthen the current sex offender parole procedure (A.8917) passed the Assembly. The bill requires that all records of parole interviews for sexual predators are recorded and transmitted to the Office of Mental Health (OMH) for review to examine any potential need for civil commitment. The bill was introduced in response to the November 2011 assault and murder of a Utica woman by Robert Blainey, a recently paroled serial rapist.
"This is a common sense measure to ensure the safety of our loved ones, the fact that this man was allowed back into society without serious consideration exposed a tragic hole in the system," Assemblymember Brindisi said. "This bill will put in place a system by which no other predator that’s a danger to society should ever be released."
During his parole release interview, the perpetrator was quoted as saying, "Society is safer with me in prison. I can sit here and tell you people I’m not going to do it, I’m not going to do it, but it’s not going to make a bit of difference." However, those comments were never passed on to OMH, the agency that refers parolees to the Attorney General for civil commitment if they are deemed dangerous to themselves or others. Currently, there is no such law in place that strengthens records of parole interview procedures.
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