In a disturbing turn of events, a felon on parole, Jamel McGriff, conceded to the gruesome murder and assault of an aged couple from Queens. Unsettlingly, McCart was negligently free to move about the city due to a fairly obscure amendment to the state’s parole law. McGriff, an erstwhile convict registered as a sex offender, committed an address registration lapse earlier in the summer – an infringement that would have previously resulted in re-imprisonment.
However, the ‘Less is More’ parole reforms, introduced in 2022, kept him from returning to prison. This revised law enables parolees to be at liberty while their legal battles ensue to determine their guilt or innocence concerning the new charges. Further, it establishes a three-strike rule that excuses them for their first two offences.
Two years subsequent to Albany’s introduction of the debatable bail reform laws, the ‘Less is More’ legislation was passed. This is despite accusations that these laws constitute a significant part of the open-ended justice system that recurrently liberates career felons. However, unlike the bail reform, this law failed to generate considerable public and media discourses.
Phara Souffrant Forrest, a left-leaning politician from the Democratic Socialists of America, is the primary author of the parole bill. It was further backed by her socialist ally, an Assemblyman and mayoral candidate, along with several others. The law was enforced for the objective of reducing long-term punishments and promoting the rehabilitation of ex-convicts.
They stated at the inception, ‘Our judicial system is geared more towards relentless punitive action than restitution. The ‘Less is More’ bill is instrumental in ensuring that individuals reintegrating into society post-incarceration can sustain their freedom. We take immense pride in successfully passing this law.’
The Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority Leader propelled the bill’s progress, and it was ultimately ratified by the Governor. However, critics argue that this alteration in parole law has instigated a surge in violent crimes in the city. An alarming number of parole-violating ex-convicts, almost 85% of them, committed new offences in New York State but were liberally set free while awaiting new charges.
This proportion saw a sharp rise after the implementation of the ‘Less is More’ law compared to 57% recorded prior to its roll-out. McGriff’s case emphasizes the negligence of the policy. Before the ‘Less is More’ law, he might have been detained by his parole officer if he had violated the sex-offender registry.
Chillingly, McGriff was also a key suspect in at least two armed thefts that occurred in the city earlier in the year, as reported by the police. Adding fuel to the fire, the new parole regulations have amplified their standards for confirming a parole violation. It went from being weighed by the ‘preponderance of evidence’ to needing ‘clear and convincing evidence’, thus making it more challenging to corroborate.
Following the policy reforms, the Department of Corrections data purports that the instances of detention due to parole violation dropped from 2,332 in 2021 to 1,437 in 2024, indicating a significant 38% decline. Those against parole reform believe that these changes only make parole revocations more arduous, even for those facing charges. They argue that this negligence stems from the misguided notion that parole revocations contribute to ‘mass incarceration.’
McGriff, aged 35, was serving parole after completing 17 years of his 20-year sentence for robbery, burglary, and sexual assault. Tragically, he allegedly brutally murdered a senior couple in their own house. However, McGriff is not the only example of a violent ex-convict granted the liberty to wander the city streets, despite being accused of committing new felonies while on parole.
Another alarming instance is that of Jeffery ‘Zay’ Mackenzie, who, after serving 21 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a woman, was released under lifetime parole in 2022. He has been nabbed at least four times on drug trafficking allegations, but his case remains unresolved in court.
In an equally horrifying episode, Lateef Green, a homeless man, was charged with attempted murder following an unprovoked knife attack. Serving nearly four years for a hate attack in 2016, Green was paroled in 2021. He had previously been caught for turnstile jumping just two months before the shocking subway assault, and his case is still being processed.
Similarly, Waheed Foster, a vagabond and ex-convict, was accused of physically assaulting a woman at a subway station in Queens in 2022. Despite being caught for a parole violation weeks before the terrifying incident, Foster was still at large. He had a long history of offences, including killing his grandmother when he was 14.
Charles Rowe, released on lifetime parole after serving almost 35 years for horrific sexual assault and murder of a young girl, charged again for sexual assault and rape of another woman. He was caught for car theft while on parole months before the accusations. Despite this, he was at large until his arrest.
In a strange turn of events following his arrest, McGriff confessed to the horrifying crimes against the elderly couple. It is clear that while the overhaul of the parole system was intended to promote rehabilitation over punishment, it has unfortunately left room for violent ex-convicts to slip through the cracks and commit more crimes, which poses a great risk to the peace and security of the neighborhoods.
The post Reformed Parole Laws: A Backdoor for Career Felons? appeared first on Real News Now.
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