Two Republican state senators are calling on New York’s Board of Parole to abandon a proposed rule change they say would undermine public safety by prioritizing the age and brain development of violent offenders over the severity of their crimes and the danger they pose to communities.
East Patchogue Senator Dean Murray and Rob Rolison of Poughkeepsie, members of the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee, sent a letter to Parole Board Chairman Daryl Towns urging him to reject the plan. The proposal, now in a public comment period through October 12, would require the Board to give “great weight” to the diminished culpability of minors serving life sentences for crimes committed before the age of 18.
Under the change, parole hearings would place greater emphasis on factors such as adolescent brain development, immaturity, and a limited ability to appreciate consequences. Murray and Rolison argue that this shift would diminish the consideration of an offender’s threat to the community, the gravity of the crime, and the voices of the victims.
“During my time as a police officer in the Town of Poughkeepsie, I saw firsthand the lifelong scars left on victims and families by crimes so violent and heinous that a life sentence is the only just outcome,” Rolison said. “The Parole Board’s duty is to protect the public and stand with victims—not to create a path for offenders who have already proven they are capable of unimaginable harm.”
Murray echoed that concern, warning that the proposal bypasses the legislature. He likened it to the “Fair and Timely Parole” bill, which failed in Albany earlier this year. “Rather than going through the body that represents the people of New York—the state legislature—the Parole Board decided to bypass and ignore us and adopt this controversial change on their own through a rule change,” Murray said. “I fear this will have deadly consequences.”
The senators’ letter cited rising youth crime following New York’s “Raise the Age” legislation, which shifted many criminal cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds to family court. They pointed to New York City statistics showing a 25 percent increase in minors accused of serious crimes since 2018, including a 136 percent rise in arrests of youths carrying firearms.
They also highlighted recent controversies involving parole decisions, including the release of offenders who later committed violent crimes. “This change to parole comes at a time when the Parole Board is already releasing cop-killers and discharging dangerous criminals from supervision,” the senators wrote, warning that the new rule would accelerate what they described as “a slide into lawlessness.”
Critics of the proposal argue that those eligible under the rule—individuals serving life sentences for crimes such as murder or predatory sexual assault—represent some of the most dangerous offenders in the prison system. “Creating leniency for those who have committed the most serious offenses is illogical and will have a potentially devastating impact on public safety,” Rolison and Murray wrote.
The senators urged residents to speak out against the change during the public comment period. Comments can be submitted by email to rules@doccs.ny.gov.