00:00Son of Sam Killer David Berkowitz and John Lennon's assassin Mark David Chapman could
00:04soon be walking the streets again. Say what now? This is what critics of a pair of proposed New
00:09York State parole bills are claiming. Now, these laws haven't passed yet, but if they do, it could
00:14open the door or the jail cells, as it were, of some notorious killers. And that, well, doesn't
00:19sound good. One piece of legislation is referred to as the Elder Parole Bill. Now, before I get
00:24into specifics, let me preface this. The word elder is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Under the
00:30law, violent criminals would potentially be able to dodge their minimum sentences, regardless of
00:34their crimes, and be granted early parole hearings after they've turned 55 and served 15 years of
00:40their sentences. 55 years old isn't exactly early bird special, time for a walker, and last rights
00:46elderly. Jennifer Lopez is 56. Now, a second bill, the Fair and Timely Parole Bill, would require the
00:52state parole board to release convicts regardless of the severity of their crimes, unless they
00:56are a, quote, current danger to the public, current being the operative word there. One
01:01critic, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, worries that both bills are gaining momentum
01:05in Albany and could pass as soon as this year. He says, quote, it really shouldn't matter how
01:10well somebody behaves in prison. You should have behaved before you got there. He then cited
01:15advocates who claim the likelihood of reoffending drops with age, but he claims that is not the
01:21case, and, quote, a majority of state prisoners who are released will reoffend. Now, it's not clear
01:26yet whether or not New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is running for re-election and needs the support
01:31of liberal New York City, would sign or veto the bills. Now, if this thing does actually get passed,
01:36the cell doors don't just automatically open for old timers and, you know, old killers. They still
01:41need to convince the parole board.
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