Mike Siderakis, candidate for Suffolk County Legislator 12th district, held a press conference Tuesday morning at the NYS office building in Hauppauge. Standing alongside Nora Higgins, regional coordinator from the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF), he called on Governor Cuomo to veto the parole reform bill working its way through the legislature. (S. 1144-A A.5576-A)
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Siderakis, a thirty year veteran of law enforcement, said he was calling the press conference to speak for the residents in his community and to ensure their safety. Siderakis and Higgins said the legislation Governor Cuomo is being asked to sign will not make the public safer and does not hold criminals accountable. He suggested that before enacting the legislation there should be a discussion with stakeholders including law enforcement and parole officers.
Siderakis said, “We’ve seen this movie before, and we know it ends badly. We can’t allow New York to jump headfirst into complex reforms of the criminal justice system, yet again, without thinking this through. “
He pointed out Albany’s criminal discovery reform, which he said pitted district attorneys against unworkable deadlines for disclosure. The legislation required local governments to disclose information about indictments and arrests within fifteen days. Enacted, the flawed legislation needed to be reformed after only months on the books.
“The safety of the residents of Suffolk County is my first, second, and third priority. I have spent my entire adult life protecting and serving the people of New York, and I will continue that fight as your legislator. Today, that means holding our public officials in Albany accountable.”
He called the legislation heading to Cuomo’s desk “a mess”. He stated, “This bill, no matter how well-meaning it might be, will leave our communities less safe by adding several roadblocks and barriers to enforcing the terms of parole on convicted criminals. It adds a huge burden on our already over-taxed court system, shifting judgment and discretion from our experienced parole officers to our crowded and underfunded courts. This bill is unworkable and, mark my words, will itself need to be reformed down the line if passed.This is just one more unfunded mandate that will have the consequence of making our communities less safe.”
Nora Higgins called for the Governor to veto the legislation known as “Less is More” saying it would remove the ability of parole officers to sanction parolees who violate terms and conditions of parole. Higgins said the legislation removes all meaningful consequences for parolees bad behavior and ties the hands of parole officers and makes it much harder for them to help parolees transition successfully back into society. There has to be some consequences, we cannot be a society with a revolving door putting everyone at risk by not providing the help to parolees who need resources and services.
Higgins said, PEF opposes the legislation which it claims creates an unfunded mandate on the courts, increases caseloads for NYS’s 800 plus parole officers who oversee 34,000 cases, the legislation ignores the fact that parole is part of a sentence for a crime.” It ignores the crimes committed and the victims of the crimes. Parole is part of the sentence for the original crime committed. They are doing their sentence without bars. Infractions committed on parole has to mean something. Parolees need to be supported mentally, financially and physically so they can get back on their feet. The legislation as presented denies the resources for real full-entry planning.
Siderakis, Higgins and retired parole officer Joan Siegel spoke of the need to enforce sentencing and the victimization of the public when criminals are not held accountable for their actions.