NEW YORK — When 2020 hits, so does the new criminal justice reforms in New York State.
Supporters say the changes are necessary, but several groups have expressed opposition.
Now, the New York State Humane Association is among that list.
"The animal crimes might fall right through the cracks and not be addressed," said Patricia Valusek, the organization's president.
Valusek told 2 on Your Side the reforms don't account for the seriousness of animal cruelty offenses, especially when it comes to dogfighting.
"Dogfighting is a serious crime and it can carry up to two years in state prison. Some of these people are not gonna come back for this. They don't want to face that ... and they could leave," Valusek said.
She's also concerned about a 15-day period in which district attorney's offices are expected to collect and share information. Valusek worries that's not enough time and cases could be tossed.
"In which case the dogs would go back to whatever their abusive situation was," she said.
Attorney Barry Covert disagrees.
He said getting a 30-day extension does not require court approval, and even after that prosecutors can ask the court for more time to gather and share evidence.
"The system really is set up to allow the district attorney offices throughout the state to have sufficient time to turn over the files," Covert said. "Not all states are doing this yet, but I think New York is only catching up to many other states that have already been making these changes, both the bail reform changes and the discovery changes."
The New York State Humane Association is not alone in its disapproval of the changes.
Last week State Senator Pat Gallivan stood alongside members of law enforcement to address his concerns.
On Thursday, State Senator Chris Jacobs announced legislation to put an immediate halt on implementing the reforms.
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