By BRENDAN SCOTT, Post Correspondent
June 24, 2008
ALBANY - Gov. Paterson and legislative leaders agreed yesterday to send hundreds of violent felons back to court before they win release on sentencing errors.
The Paterson administration has been under pressure to release about 550 killers, rapists and other thugs since an April Court of Appeals ruling on the failure of judges to tell the offenders they would spend up to five years under parole supervision after release.
Lawmakers have scrambled for a legislative fix since The Post first reported the crisis last week.
The new bill, announced by Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), would require new sentencing hearings for all ex-cons covered by the ruling.
About 50 violent felons detained for parole violations have been freed in the past seven weeks.
The bill would also allow judges to cancel future parole supervision for inmates during the new sentencing hearings.
The provisions resulted from negotiations with Assembly Democrats, who argued that legislation to hold inmates on violations of parole terms never ordered by a judge would be unconstitutional.
