Top Judge Favors a Second Chance for Those Languishing in Prison

New York|Top Judge Favors a Second Chance for Those Languishing in Prison

The chief judge of New York State’s highest court urged the State Legislature on Monday to pass a bill that would allow prisoners who have been locked up for years to apply for reduced sentences.

The judge, Rowan Wilson, who oversees the state’s entire court system, said in his annual address at the Court of Appeals in Albany that the proposed legislation, known as the Second Look Act, would give people who committed crimes years ago an opportunity to show they no longer pose a danger and could be a benefit to society.

“Put simply, our criminal justice system isn’t working. Maybe it hasn’t really ever worked,” Judge Wilson said. “Prolonged incarceration is very expensive, and it does not make us safer.”

The speech by Judge Wilson, the first Black judge to lead the Court of Appeals, stands in contrast to a growing push for tough-on-crime policies in New York State. After embarrassing losses to Republicans in the midterm elections in 2022 and gains by President Trump among New York voters in November, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has made public safety a keystone of her re-election campaign.

Judge Wilson was confirmed in 2023 following a tumultuous fight among State Democrats and Ms. Hochul over her initial nominee for the post, Hector D. LaSalle, who progressive legislators said was too conservative. The previous chief judge, Janet DiFiore, had wielded her influence to push the court to the right during her tenure.

In contrast, Judge Wilson, who first joined the Court of Appeals in 2017, quickly established himself as a prominent liberal voice.