An individual who confessed to the atrocious crimes of homicide, sexual assault, and arson upon an older couple in Queens gained his freedom due to a relatively obscure amendment to state parole laws. Previously convicted felon and sex offender, Jamel McGriff, while under parole, failed to update his residential information in the given summer, a breach that three years prior would have seen him reincarcerated. However, amendments known as ‘Less Is More’ implemented in 2022, allowed him to maintain his freedom. Fundamental to this law is the concept that parolees should not be incarcerated while undergoing the long court procedure that ascertains whether new charges are applicable, in addition to establishing a three-strike rule that excuses the first couple of infractions.
This legislative action was enacted two years after the Albany-brought bail reform laws, which were heavily criticized for perpetuating a cycle that allows repeat offenders a speedy return to society. Despite the parallels, the parole law amendment did not draw the public or media attention to the extent that bail reform did. The legislation was proposed by the well-known progressive figure, Phara Souffrant Forrest, a representative of the Democratic Socialists of America, with endorsement from her socialist colleague, a mayoral candidate, and a multitude of others.
At the time of the bill’s introduction, they justified its enactment by arguing that the established system was more of a never-ending penalty rather than a means to rehabilitate. They proclaimed ‘Less is More’ to be a critical leap towards ensuring that individuals returning from a prison term could successfully reintegrate into society. They expressed pride in contributing to the advancement of the bill to law. The law was shepherded through by the Assembly Speaker, the Senate Majority Leader, and finally sanctioned by the Governor.
The reform in parole law is thought to have inadvertently contributed to the increase in violent criminal activity in New York City. Shocking statistics reveal that out of 20,968 former convicts on parole, who committed fresh crimes in New York state last year, a staggering 85% (which is 17,825) were at large while their new charges were in process. In comparison, the 2021 data, before the law took effect, indicates that 57%, or 10,121 out of 17,633 parolees who committed fresh crimes were permitted to stay at large.
Before the advent of the ‘Less is More’ legislation, violation of sex-offender registry, like the case of McGriff, could have triggered immediate detention by the parole officer, pending a hearing outcome. What exacerbates the McGriff situation even more is that during the summer, he was the key suspect in a couple of armed robberies in the city, as disclosed by the NYPD.
Furthermore, the parole law reforms elevated the requirement to prove a parole infraction from what previously needed a ‘preponderance of the evidence’ to now require ‘clear and convincing evidence’. Since the introduction of these reforms, there has been a drastic fall in the numbers of parolees incarcerated due to violations from 2,332 in 2021 to 1,437 in 2024, marking a 38% reduction, based on the newest data obtained from the Department of Corrections.
Critics argue that the reforms make it more challenging to cancel parole licenses even for those individuals facing new charges, due to a misconceived belief that mass-incarceration is majorly driven by the revocation of paroles. McGriff, aged 35, was under parole at the time after completing 17 out of a 20-year conviction term for robbery, burglary, and sexual assault when he reportedly perpetrated a heinous act against an elderly couple within their home.
Disturbing incidents of violent previous convicts who were granted the freedom to live among the public, despite committing fresh crimes while on parole, are not limited to McGriff. A case in point is Jeffery ‘Zay’ Mackenzie who, after completing a 21-year sentence for a fatal shooting at a laundromat, was granted lifetime parole in 2022. He has been arrested no less than four times on drug-dealing allegations, though the court proceedings are still in progress.
Another alarming instance is the case of Lateef Green, a homeless man held for attempted murder in an impromptu attack with a knuckle-edged knife on a public transport passenger. Green, aged 50, served nearly four years in prison in relation to a hate crime that occurred in March 2016 causing severe facial injuries to another man. He got paroled in 2021 and was arrested for evasion of subway fare just two months prior to the knife incident, with court proceedings still pending.
Waheed Foster, a former convict and drifter, allegedly assaulted a woman at a Queens subway station in 2022. He was able to maintain his freedom despite being taken in on parole a few weeks earlier for the assault incident which was captured on video. His long criminal record astonishingly includes an incident where he killed his grandmother when he was only 14.
Charles Rowe, granted lifetime parole after enduring a 35-year incarceration term for the horrific rape and murder of a 10-year old girl in Queens, was charged with sexually assaulting a woman and rape, despite being arrested just a few months before for car theft while on parole. The case is pending a verdict.
In a grotesque, post-arrest confession, McGriff openly admitted to the slaying and sexual assault of the elderly couple. This act reiterates the potential pitfalls and dire consequences of the current parole reform system. With such disturbing examples of re-offending, major concerns are being voiced about the adequacy and effectiveness of the parole reform laws and their impact on public safety.
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