NYS Assemblymember Monica Wallace and parole officers call for parole law reforms

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - New York State Assemblymember Monica Wallace is calling for parole law reforms after Convicted Murderer, Edward Kindt, was accused of violating parole by fleeing from his transitional home.

Under the Less is More Act of 2021, parolees who violate parole for absconding can face 7 days in Jail, or up to 30 days for repeat offenders, which Wallace says defies common sense.

"The legislation was intended to prevent parolees from going back to jail for what we'll call technical violations like missing an appointment or being late from curfew," Wallace stated. "But in reality, the legislation went too far, and as these officers will tell you, it has handicapped their ability to enforce compliance with the rules and conditions of release. Quite simply, there are little to no consequences for violations."

Wallace says the legislation that she is introducing will allow for parole and probation officers to have more flexibility, increase penalties for violations, and would also allow for individuals to be reincarcerated for absconding.

Council Leader of NYS Parole Officer PEF Division, Gina Lopez, explained that under the Less is More Act, people like Edward Kindt, who raped and killed 39 year old Penny Brown on Mothers day in 1999, to be a continual threat to society as long as their violations go unchecked.

"Mr. Kent failed to maintain his parole monitoring device, fled his halfway house in Poughkeepsie without notice and traveled across the entire state to Cattaraugus county before being apprehended. Under the Less is More Law, if Mr. Kent is not charged with a crime, he will only serve up to 30 days in jail. While his violation process is pending, he is still collecting his time credits. Meaning for every 30 days he is out on parole without a finalized disposition violation, he is getting 30 days taken off of his sentence."