POWERFUL: 45 academics write an *epic* letter to NY news outlets & journalists criticizing & rejecting the "onslaught of misleading & alarmist coverage of the new bail reform laws." It begins "Dear Members of the NY Press Club." A thread transcribing it:queenseagle.com/all/law-profes…
"We are criminal law experts at universities & colleges in NY & across the country. Among us, we have decades of experience with New York’s criminal courts. We write to raise our concerns about the onslaught of misleading and alarmist coverage of the new bail reform laws."
The New York bail reform that just took effect on January 1, 2020, is the result of "years of hard work by directly impacted people, grassroots organizations, advocates, legal researchers, and lawmakers."
"Studies have shown that overuse of pretrial detention has devastating costs to individuals as well as the community, and that reducing the number of people who are unnecessarily detained in jail pretrial improves public safety."
Name names: "Rather than providing accurate & objective context about the new law, some local news outlets, such as @CBSNewYork & the @nypost, have merely amplified the fear-mongering voices of police union officials, prosecutors, & politicians who have long opposed bail reform."
@CBSNewYork @nypost Shame: "Within days of the law, local outlets began a barrage of cherry-picked stories to stoke panic & outrage w/ headlines like 'Why NY criminals are celebrating the New Year.' This divisive reporting furthers a false narrative that bail reform puts our communities in danger."
@CBSNewYork @nypost Fire: Divisive reporting doesn't promote truth or reason. Instead it "pushes New Yorkers to blindly reject the new bail reform law based on fear and bias, not facts. New Yorkers deserve better."
@CBSNewYork @nypost Key: "New Yorkers depend on local journalism to provide honest coverage of issues impacting their communities. Local reporting, especially reporting on crime, shapes the public perception & discourse about the safety of the community & the fairness of the criminal legal system."
@CBSNewYork @nypost 🚨"When reporters publish stories that are misleading, or reinforce false narratives based on fear & prejudice, they all but ensure our justice system will continue to criminalize & incarcerate poor people & people of color, destroying families & communities, w/o making us safe."
@CBSNewYork @nypost Now comes the part of the powerful letter where the law professors come with receipts.
@CBSNewYork @nypost "@CBSNewYork ran a story about someone charged & released. The headline initially read '“Absolutely Ridiculous: HIV-Positive Suspect Released By Judge After Attacking, Spitting In Port Authority Officer’s Mouth. Their social media handle initially described it as an “HIV Attack.”
@CBSNewYork @nypost Shame on @CBSNewYork: "As advocates who protested this coverage made clear, HIV cannot be transmitted via saliva, but CBS irresponsibly spread this misinformation, encouraging stigma of people who live with HIV to instill fear of bail reform."
@CBSNewYork @nypost Truth: "Tiffany Harris, a young woman living with mental illness, was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly slapping several individuals and making anti-Semitic statements, was released to receive mental health treatment instead of being detained at Rikers Island."
@CBSNewYork @nypost "@nypost ran a series attempting to tie Tiffany Harris's misdemeanor case to unrelated serious & high-profile anti-Semitic attacks, leaving readers to think that bail reform allowed people who violently attack Jewish communities to run rampant." 
@CBSNewYork @nypost Not in our name: "Rather than offering objective & honest context, these articles weaponize fear to undermine bail reform. Recognizing this danger, Jewish legislators have spoken out to reject the narrative that bail reform encourages antiSemitic violence."nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-ope…
@CBSNewYork @nypost "There are countless important stories not being covered—of individuals released under the law & gone home to their families w/o the devastation of losing their jobs or housing." Well now I'm blushing. The professors cite to this thread I wrote last week:
@CBSNewYork @nypost "There are stories of individuals now able to get community-based treatment, rather than sitting in a cell. Of individuals whose release under new law has allowed them to maintain the vital roles to hold families together & make the community safer. Those stories should be told."
@CBSNewYork @nypost "Contrary to Willie Horton-like claims that bail reform will make New York more dangerous, the evidence shows that an over-reliance on pretrial detention makes us less safe." One example of that research and evidence: cjcc.doj.wi.gov/sites/default/…
@CBSNewYork @nypost "Pretrial release can effectively ensure that people return to court and positively impact community safety. Under the new law, judges can order monitoring of individuals if there are flight risk concerns." Research and evidence, not fear: nycja.org/assets/CJA_RWM…
@CBSNewYork @nypost "Judges still can impose bond in most violent felonies, sex-related charges, & certain domestic violence charges. However, those kinds of cases are actually a small minority — historically, only 10% —of those coming thru NY's criminal courts." Evidence:vera.org/publications/n…
@CBSNewYork @nypost "Bail reform makes progress towards reducing economic & racial disparities. Under the old system, on any given day across NY, roughly 14k unconvicted people sat in jail awaiting trial simply bc they could not afford to buy their freedom." Evidence & Facts: criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa/j…
@CBSNewYork @nypost "Those in jail pending trial are overwhelmingly poor & disproportionately people of color. Incarceration for even a few days has devastating impact on the individual, family, & community. Now, fewer people will be forced to sit in jails bc of bail. These steps are long overdue."
@CBSNewYork @nypost "The danger of fear-driven news coverage cant be overstated. Bail reform is a critical 1st step towards a fairer system & stronger & safer NY. Continued examination, discourse, & engaging viewpoints are key to making the system fair & just for all, not just our most privileged."
“But if we want a truly just system and a safer community, we must move forward using facts, not fear, to guide us. We ask that you reject this harmful reporting & meaningfully engage New Yorkers in this effort.” Visit: JusticeNotFear.org for more.
