BILL NUMBER: S8554
SPONSOR: ORTT
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to repeal certain provisions of the executive law relating to the
discharging of a person's sentence by the board of parole
 
PURPOSE:
To repeal section 259- of the Executive Law, which authorizes the parole
board to discharge a parolee who has been on unrevoked community super-
vision for at least three consecutive years.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 repeals section 259-j of the Executive Law.
Section 2 is the effective date.
 
EXISTING LAW:
Click here
 
JUSTIFICATION:
On July 17, 2025, Amanda Thompson was murdered by Rickey Crouch, a
convicted murderer who had previously been paroled after serving time
for murder and was facing prosecution for two other domestic violence
incidents. Despite being sentenced to an indeterminate sentence which
required lifetime parole, Crouch was discharged from parole supervision
by the Parole Board after only three years after being released from
prison. The Parole Board was authorized to discharge Crouch pursuant to
section 259-j of the Executive Law, which allows the Parole Board to
discharge an offender from parole where they have been on unrevoked
community supervision for at least three consecutive years. Despite a
history of violence including a murder conviction, the Parole Board
believed it was appropriate to allow Crouch to be free without any
supervision or conditions to prevent him from harming another person.
If Section 259-j was not in effect, her killer would not have been
discharged, and she may still be with us today. Allowing early termi-
nation of supervision eliminates effective monitoring of individuals who
have been convicted of serious offenses. This bill would reverse that
dangerous policy and prevent the Parole Board from discharging a person
from a lawfully imposed parole sentence before completing it.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state
 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
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EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S8554: 259-j executive law