Evidence of unfairness

Brooklyn: Re “Discovery reform is dangerous” (Op-Ed, Feb. 5): For decades, district attorneys have used the ultraconservative New York State Senate to help them pass laws driving mass incarceration, harsher sentencing and an unfair advantage in plea bargaining and trials. Now that a more fair and reasonable state government is evaluating these laws, the DAs’ true colors are emerging. They decry the plight of victims but fail to mention is that in a majority of cases, the main witness is a police officer or the parties know each other. In the rare times the DA would need to, the new law gives the DA the right to ask a judge for permission to withhold the information, for good cause. The DAs seek continued advantage in what has become a game — to push people to plead guilty quickly while extracting the maximum amount of jail time they can from the innocent, the vulnerable, the men, women and children who are caught up in the harsh nightmare of New York’s criminal legal system — the one they helped create. Lisa Schreibersdorf Executive Director Brooklyn Defender Services