Major changes in New York’s criminal law, backed by Governor Cuomo and passed by the state legislature in 2019, took effect in 2020, and local and state governments are still debating how those changes will affect criminal law enforcers and defendants. Here’s a quick summary of changes the new law made as of January 1, […]
Category: Criminal records
Article: Academics, Defense Lawyers Find Fault with NYC Gang Database
UPDATE: A New York City Council bill that will require the NYPD to notify minors who are suspected to be gang members and tagged to be included in the NYPD Gang Database was re-introduced for another round of hearings last July 23, 2019. The proposed legislation will allow minors an opportunity to contest said designation […]
Article: New York’s New Law on Sealing Criminal Records: How It Works, What It Covers
The New York state legislature passed, as part of the 2017-2018 budget bill, a new section 160.59, titled “Sealing of Certain Convictions,” which amends the state’s criminal laws. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it on April 10, 2017, and the new law will take effect 180 days later, on October 7, 2017, and will apply to […]
Article: Appeals Court: Mugshots of Federal Defendants Need Not Be Released
Reversing a decision from 1996, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati has ruled the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) does not require the U.S. Marshals Service automatically to release mugshots taken when federal prisoners are booked. With all 16 judges participating in the July 14 decision, the 6th Circuit by a 9-7 vote held prisoners […]
Article: New York City and State Restrictions on Use of Criminal Records in Hiring
On June 29, at a signing ceremony in City Hall, New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio hailed a new City Council law, the “Fair Chance Act,” as a way to require city-based employers with four or more workers to take into account job applicants’ qualifications, rather than to screen them out early in the hiring […]
Article: Options for Dealing with a Criminal Record: Expungement and Sealing in New York
Having an arrest or criminal conviction record can hurt your future in many ways: blocking your ability to find employment, or hold certain professional licenses, to mention just a few. New York law provides a few ways to wipe out criminal records or shield them from public view. About 40 states have procedures for expunging […]