The new bail reform laws in New York guarantee that a person’s eligibility to leave custody is not influenced by their income. The majority of charges, including some non-violent felonies, were no longer subject to bail, which resulted in a reduction of more than a quarter in the state’s jail population.
Even while the big picture can look good, harmful individuals can snuck in. One such instance involves a man who was supposedly found in a well-known Manhattan neighborhood in possession of thousands of lethal drugs.
RESULTS OF NY BAIL REFORM: Drug dealer, Manuel Pagan, 49, busted with 20,000 fentanyl pills set free. Pagan was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree. https://t.co/VGSdtCBOns
— Blue Lives Matter 💎 (@RetiredNYCPD) November 13, 2022
Manuel Pagan, 49, was detained by NYPD police on November 11 and accused with unlawful possession of a controlled narcotic. According to court papers, Pagan, a native of Washington Heights, was hauled in with around 20,000 M-30 fentanyl pills in various colors.
Judge James Clyne, who made headlines last year for releasing a criminal on the run without bail, also released Pagan. First-degree criminal possession was just added to the list of crimes that qualify for bail under the 2019 changes, but Clyne nevertheless released him. A $100,000 cash bail or a $250,000 bond had been demanded by the authorities.
