Bill > A00592

This bill amends New York's penal law to make life imprisonment without parole mandatory when a defendant is convicted of first-degree murder where the victim is a police officer. Specifically, the legislation modifies existing statutes to require that a defendant be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole when they are convicted of murder in the first degree under a specific subparagraph related to killing a police officer. Currently, the law allowed for some discretion in sentencing for first-degree murder, but this bill eliminates that discretion in cases involving police officer victims. The change means that defendants convicted of this specific type of first-degree murder will no longer have the possibility of parole or alternative sentencing options. The bill is part of a broader set of legal provisions defining sentencing guidelines for serious criminal offenses, and it aims to provide enhanced legal protection and recognition of the risks faced by law enforcement officers. The legislation will take effect on the first of November following its passage into law.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A592