ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Two proposed bills advancing through the New York State Legislature sparked debate over public safety and fairness in the criminal justice system on Tuesday. The bills could reshape how the state handles parole and good behavior, letting some sentences be reduced by as much as half.

S159/A127 would change how parole works for people incarcerated at state prisons, granting supervised release by default unless the Parole Board can prove that they clearly still pose a danger to the public.

S342/A1085, the Earned Time Act, is more complex. It would let inmates earn time off their sentence. Credits could total up to one-half of their sentence, whereas current credits for good behavior get capped at lower levels. Earned time credits would accumulate each year based on behavior like participation in education, work, or treatment programs. And those credits would not be removable once earned.

Critics warned that passing the bills would put dangerous criminals on the street, which they called particularly galling because it’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The ranking member on the State Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, Republican State Senator Rob Rolison, blasted what he called the “bad bills” on Wednesday. He said Earned Time will reward incarcerated people with credit that can’t be taken back whenever their good behavior ends.

His counterpart on that committee—the chair, Sen. Julia Salazar—sponsored the parole reform in the Senate and cosponsored Earned Time. Here’s Rolison on Tuesday connecting the conversation about reform back to the correction officers strike:

And other critics have referenced other criminal justice reforms—like bail and discovery—as part of a larger pro-crime agenda favored by Albany Democrats to undermine public safety. Republican State Sen. Mark Walczyk said the legislation “tells convicts that their rights and comfort outweigh the safety of law-abiding citizens.”

Republican State Senator Jim Tedisco agreed that the legislature should focus on making prison facilities safer for correction officers. “These bills are a deliberate slap in the face to all New Yorkers who care about law and order, and especially to the victims of violent crime,” he said.

But the new measures are supposed to replace vague, discretionary decisions made by corrections staff. Noting that the measures use transparent, precise formulas, supporters say new standards create a more consistent, predictable process. They say the reforms will lower prison populations, correctional costs, and recidivism so incarcerated people can improve their lives once they’ve repaid their debt to society.

In support of the bills, the Center for Community Alternatives argued that New York’s current sentencing laws have led to mass incarceration and disproportionately affected Black and brown communities. “At a time when New York’s prison system is in crisis, the Earned Time Act offers a real solution to change prison culture, support successful reentry, and reunite families,” said Tomas Gant, a CCA community organizer.

CCA pointed to a 2006 report from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision showing that earned time credits reduced recidivism. Still, Republicans and law enforcement insist the changes are dangerous. They claim Earned Time would let inmates reduce their sentences by up to 75%, regardless of how serious their crimes.

“Senator Cooney should be ashamed of himself for putting criminals ahead of his constituents,” said a representative from the Locust Club police group about Democratic State Senator Jeremy Cooney, who sponsored Earned Time. In a statement distributed in the Greater Rochester area, they urged residents to contact their legislators to complain.

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