Assemblyman Brian Maher (R,C-Walden) today joined his Assembly and Senate Minority colleagues, family members of crime victims and victims’ rights advocates to call for changes to the state’s bail reform laws. Maher is calling on the Legislature to adopt multiple policies to improve public safety, including judicial discretion.

“New Yorkers have said loud and clear they feel the state is less safe because of the rise in crime. This is a problem that won’t be fixed with one solution, but we can start with restoring judicial discretion, instituting parole reforms to protect victims and addressing hate crimes, among others,” said Maher. “New Yorkers deserve to feel safe in this state and crime victims need to know they are heard. Every minute we wait to fix this broken system more lives are lost and our communities devastated.”

The daughter of John Lee, Tammy Patrick, spoke at the press conference about the June 2022 murder of her elderly father by Thomas Quillan. Only 36 hours earlier, Quillan was arrested and out on bail for a brutal assault of another man. If judges had more discretion to hold violent individuals such as Quillan, John Lee would not have been murdered.

New Yorkers consider crime a serious problem, according to a poll conducted by Siena College, which also showed broad support for restoring judicial discretion. This is just one of the many solutions proposed by Maher and his Minority colleagues. Other proposals include bail for gun crimes, parole board reforms and addressing hate crimes.