This bill (S 8579) elevates assault against employees of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to a class D felony under New York State Penal Law. It directly affects park workers by increasing the legal consequences for anyone who assaults them while they are performing their duties. The key mechanism amends Section 120.05 of the Penal Law to explicitly include parks department employees in a list of protected personnel (alongside firefighters, nurses, sanitation workers, and others) for whom causing physical injury during work constitutes a felony. This change raises penalties for such assaults from a lower-level offense to a class D felony, reflecting the seriousness of harming public safety workers.
This bill increases penalties for repeat domestic violence offenses by elevating certain crimes to class E felonies when perpetrators have prior convictions for specific offenses (like harassment, assault, or stalking) within the last ten years and are in the same household or family as the victim. It amends New York Penal Law sections to define "same family or household" consistently and specifies qualifying prior crimes, including stalking, strangulation, and harassment offenses. The changes directly affect domestic violence perpetrators with prior convictions and strengthen legal protections for victims by imposing stricter penalties for repeat offenses. The bill does not create new victim services but modifies criminal sentencing structures for domestic violence cases.
This bill (S 5290) changes the law to require that a defendant must be over 25 years old to be convicted of felony murder. It applies specifically to cases where someone dies during the commission or escape from certain violent crimes like robbery, burglary, kidnapping, or sexual assault. The law amends the penal code to exclude defendants under 25 from felony murder charges in these scenarios, meaning younger individuals cannot be held liable for felony murder even if they participated in the underlying crime. The change takes effect immediately upon enactment.
S 5138 abolishes New York State's legal allowance for citizens to make arrests, removing a long-standing provision that permitted ordinary people to detain others under specific circumstances. The bill repeals key sections of the criminal procedure law and penal law that previously authorized citizens to use physical force to arrest individuals suspected of committing certain serious crimes (like murder or robbery) while they were fleeing. This change directly affects all New Yorkers who previously could legally make citizen arrests, replacing that authority with exclusive police powers for arrests. The bill does not alter police procedures or create new offenses, but removes a specific legal tool available to private individuals. It is currently pending in the Assembly after passing the Senate.
This bill (S 7360) standardizes the duration of court-issued protective orders for harassment victims after criminal convictions. It requires courts to set specific time limits for these orders based on the offense type: up to 8 years for felony sexual assault convictions, up to 5 years for certain class A misdemeanors, and up to 2 years for other offenses. Courts must also state on record why they issued or denied such orders when a temporary order was previously granted. The bill directly affects defendants convicted of harassment-related crimes and the courts issuing protective orders in those cases.
This bill amends New York's penal law to classify assault against social services workers as a class C felony when it prevents them from performing their lawful duties. It specifically covers workers providing services like child welfare, counseling, or crisis intervention, and applies when the assault causes serious injury. The law upgrades penalties for such assaults from a misdemeanor to a felony, aligning them with protections for police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. This change directly affects social services workers and sets clear criminal penalties for violent acts targeting their ability to carry out essential community roles.
This bill amends New York's penal law to expand hate crime designations. It adds "actual or perceived employment as a law enforcement officer" as a protected characteristic, meaning attacks against police officers motivated by bias can now be classified as hate crimes. It also explicitly includes "making graffiti" (under section 145.60) as a specified offense that qualifies as a hate crime when committed due to bias against a protected characteristic. This change affects individuals who commit certain offenses (like assault or graffiti) with bias targeting law enforcement or other protected traits, potentially increasing penalties for those acts.
This bill requires individuals arrested for specific felony offenses to submit a DNA sample for inclusion in the state DNA identification index. It applies to arrests for crimes including assault, homicide, sex offenses, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, and firearms violations. The law mandates DNA collection upon arrest unless the person previously provided a sample, and outlines procedures for court-ordered collection if refused. It also establishes clear processes for expunging DNA records when cases end in acquittal, dismissal, or pardons, ensuring records are removed from the index under defined conditions.
Establishes the New York state commission to end mass incarceration and to prevent violence; provides such commission shall investigate, evaluate and make recommendations concerning how to reduce the New York prison population, incidences of violent crime in New York state, and other various topics related to the criminal justice system.
This bill amends New York's criminal procedure law to clarify when courts can issue orders of protection for harassment victims during criminal cases. It specifies that courts may issue temporary protection orders while a case is pending and must state reasons for issuing or denying final protection orders after sentencing. The bill sets new maximum durations for these orders based on offense type: up to 8 years for felony convictions (10 years for certain sexual assault cases), 5 years for class A misdemeanors (6 years for sexual assault), and 2 years for other offenses. These changes directly affect courts handling criminal cases, defendants convicted of harassment-related crimes, and victims seeking legal protection.
