Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Critics of bail reform say the system has been failing New Yorkers. The latest instance of such a claim came Thursday when a Buffalo man who was charged with violating an order protection is now charged with killing the woman who had that order.
Buffalo's Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon says 44-year-old Amanda Thompson was killed by a man she knew, and had an order of protection issued against him, Rickey Crouch.
"Earlier this year, and four days apart, [Crouch] was arrested twice. The second time, the [Erie County] District Attorney requested he be held without bail, was released despite violating an order of protection, things of that nature," said Scanlon while appearing on WBEN with Joe Beamer.
Scanlon says Thompson wasn't given a chance, while Crouch received numerous chances.
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The warning to state lawmakers about the unintended consequences of bail reform came from Scanlon when it was introduced five years ago.
"We were clear with our state representatives that it shouldn't have taken place in the first place, but you've seen time-and-time again where this community has been affected because of the changes in legislation. And we've asked for repeals and that hasn't happened," Scanlon said.
Former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn has been clamoring for a long while about how bail reform has been failing every resident in New York State.
"We have a society now where the term 'accountability' and 'responsibility' are missing," said Flynn while appearing with Beamer on WBEN. "It's not those two words and that those two concepts, in my opinion, are not only missing in our criminal justice system, but they are missing in our entire culture."
Flynn notes Crouch had been released after a burglary and a violation of an order of protection.
"He makes a bail within my understanding, allegedly, within two weeks. He goes back to the same woman and harasses her, and violated the order of protection that was given in the first arrest back in May," Flynn said.
According to Flynn, violating the order of protection is not normally bail eligible.
"But because he was out on bail in the first offense, it made it bail eligible. So in terms of bail reform, there's really nothing wrong here in this case, because, again, the second one he was bail eligible, but the judge released him," Flynn explained.
Crouch was released on parole after serving 25 years-to-life for murder in 1996.