New York?s top judge wants more cameras in state courtrooms.
Our Glenn Blain reports:
Court of Appeals Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, during his annual State of the Judiciary Address Tuesday, called for video coverage of all courtroom proceedings in the state, including those featuring the testimony of witnesses.
?The public has a right to observe the critical work that our courts do each and every day to see how our laws are being interpreted, how our rights are being adjudicated and how criminals are being punished, as well as how our taxpayer dollars are being spent,? Lippman said in his speech.
Lippman?s proposal, which must be approved by the Legislature, would give judges the discretion to limit camera coverage of trials and allow witnesses to request that their facial features be obscured when giving testimony.
Camera coverage of state court proceedings was first allowed 25 years ago but the legislation that permitted it was allowed to expire ten years later.? Judges now permit still and video cameras in state court proceedings on a case-by-case basis.
?This cuts to the very core of the Judiciary?s ongoing efforts to familiarize New Yorkers with their courts and legal system, build stronger bridges between our courts and the communities they serve and gain the public?s trust,? Lippman said.
Lippman, during his speech, also called for an overhaul of the state?s bail system and requiring judges to consider the potential threats to public safety ? instead of just the potential that defendants will fail to show up for their next court hearings - when deciding whether hold defendants on bail.
?Few, if any, would seriously argue that judges should not consider the safety and well-being of people on our streets or in our homes when making bail decisions,? Lippman said. ?This makes no sense and certainly does not serve the best interests of our communities and our citizens.?
Lippman also proposed a set of measures to prevent low level, non-violent defendants from being unnecessarily detained, including increased use of supervised release and encouraging more nonprofit organizations to get involved in issuing bail bonds.
IMAGE: MIKE GROLL/AP
State of the Judiciary 2013 by Celeste Katz
On the bail issue, Lippman writes, in part:
"New York offers special challenges in achieving bail reform. In almost every other
state, judges are required by statute to consider public safety when making a bail determination.
In New York, they are not required, or even permitted, to do so. Because of
this, defendants in New York are screened for their risk of failure to appear in court ?
using a range of factors such as ties to the community, criminal record and past failure
to appear ? but not for their risk of committing a new crime. As a result, defendants
may be put back on the street with insufficient regard to public safety, with possibly
catastrophic consequences. Few, if any, would seriously argue that judges should not
consider the safety and well-being of people on our streets or in our homes when making
bail decisions. This makes no sense and certainly does not serve the best interests of
our communities and our citizens.
"The time has come to join 46 other states and the District of Columbia by changing
New York?s bail laws to require judges to take into account public safety considerations.
Fixing this glaring deficiency must be the top priority of any revision to our bail
statutes. Judges must be authorized to consider public safety as well as the risk of failure
to appear for court when making bail decisions. To allow the present situation to continue
is bad public policy at a time when we need to do everything we can to be smart,
effective and principled in combating crime and violence in our society..."
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/02/more-cameras-in-court-says-ny-chief-judge
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