2021 New York Laws
CPL - Criminal Procedure
Part 3 - Special Proceedings and Miscellaneous Procedures
Title P - Procedures for Securing Attendance at Criminal Actions and Proceedings of Defendants and Witnesses Under Control of Court--Recognizance, Bail
Article 510 - Recognizance, Bail and Commitment-Determination of Application for Recognizance or Bail, Issuance of Securing Orders, and Related Matters
510.10 - Securing Order; When Required; Alternatives Available; Standard to Be Applied.
§ 510.10 Securing order; when required; alternatives available; standard
to be applied.
1. When a principal, whose future court attendance at a criminal
action or proceeding is or may be required, comes under the control of a
court, such court shall, in accordance with this title, by a securing
order release the principal on the principal's own recognizance, release
the principal under non-monetary conditions, or, where authorized, fix
bail or commit the principal to the custody of the sheriff. In all such
cases, except where another type of securing order is shown to be
required by law, the court shall release the principal pending trial on
the principal's own recognizance, unless it is demonstrated and the
court makes an individualized determination that the principal poses a
risk of flight to avoid prosecution. If such a finding is made, the
court must select the least restrictive alternative and condition or
conditions that will reasonably assure the principal's return to court.
The court shall explain its choice of release, release with conditions,
bail or remand on the record or in writing.
2. A principal is entitled to representation by counsel under this
chapter in preparing an application for release, when a securing order
is being considered and when a securing order is being reviewed for
modification, revocation or termination. If the principal is financially
unable to obtain counsel, counsel shall be assigned to the principal.
3. In cases other than as described in subdivision four of this
section the court shall release the principal pending trial on the
principal's own recognizance, unless the court finds on the record or in
writing that release on the principal's own recognizance will not
reasonably assure the principal's return to court. In such instances,
the court shall release the principal under non-monetary conditions,
selecting the least restrictive alternative and conditions that will
reasonably assure the principal's return to court. The court shall
explain its choice of alternative and conditions on the record or in
writing.
4. Where the principal stands charged with a qualifying offense, the
court, unless otherwise prohibited by law, may in its discretion release
the principal pending trial on the principal's own recognizance or under
non-monetary conditions, fix bail, or, where the defendant is charged
with a qualifying offense which is a felony, the court may commit the
principal to the custody of the sheriff. A principal stands charged with
a qualifying offense for the purposes of this subdivision when he or she
stands charged with: (a) a felony enumerated in section 70.02 of the penal law, other than
robbery in the second degree as defined in subdivision one of section
160.10 of the penal law, provided, however, that burglary in the second
degree as defined in subdivision two of section 140.25 of the penal law
shall be a qualifying offense only where the defendant is charged with
entering the living area of the dwelling;
(b) a crime involving witness intimidation under section 215.15 of the
penal law;
(c) a crime involving witness tampering under section 215.11, 215.12
or 215.13 of the penal law;
(d) a class A felony defined in the penal law, provided that for class
A felonies under article two hundred twenty of the penal law, only class
A-I felonies shall be a qualifying offense;
(e) a sex trafficking offense defined in section 230.34 or 230.34-a of
the penal law, or a felony sex offense defined in section 70.80 of the
penal law, or a crime involving incest as defined in section 255.25,
255.26 or 255.27 of such law, or a misdemeanor defined in article one
hundred thirty of such law;
(f) conspiracy in the second degree as defined in section 105.15 of
the penal law, where the underlying allegation of such charge is that
the defendant conspired to commit a class A felony defined in article
one hundred twenty-five of the penal law;
(g) money laundering in support of terrorism in the first degree as
defined in section 470.24 of the penal law; money laundering in support
of terrorism in the second degree as defined in section 470.23 of the
penal law; money laundering in support of terrorism in the third degree
as defined in section 470.22 of the penal law; money laundering in
support of terrorism in the fourth degree as defined in section 470.21
of the penal law; or a felony crime of terrorism as defined in article
four hundred ninety of the penal law, other than the crime defined in
section 490.20 of such law;
(h) criminal contempt in the second degree as defined in subdivision
three of section 215.50 of the penal law, criminal contempt in the first
degree as defined in subdivision (b), (c) or (d) of section 215.51 of
the penal law or aggravated criminal contempt as defined in section
215.52 of the penal law, and the underlying allegation of such charge of
criminal contempt in the second degree, criminal contempt in the first
degree or aggravated criminal contempt is that the defendant violated a
duly served order of protection where the protected party is a member of
the defendant's same family or household as defined in subdivision one
of section 530.11 of this title;
(i) facilitating a sexual performance by a child with a controlled
substance or alcohol as defined in section 263.30 of the penal law, use
of a child in a sexual performance as defined in section 263.05 of the
penal law or luring a child as defined in subdivision one of section
120.70 of the penal law, promoting an obscene sexual performance by a
child as defined in section 263.10 of the penal law or promoting a
sexual performance by a child as defined in section 263.15 of the penal
law;
(j) any crime that is alleged to have caused the death of another
person;
(k) criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation as defined
in section 121.11 of the penal law, strangulation in the second degree
as defined in section 121.12 of the penal law or unlawful imprisonment
in the first degree as defined in section 135.10 of the penal law, and
is alleged to have committed the offense against a member of the
defendant's same family or household as defined in subdivision one of
section 530.11 of this title;
(l) aggravated vehicular assault as defined in section 120.04-a of the
penal law or vehicular assault in the first degree as defined in section
120.04 of the penal law;
(m) assault in the third degree as defined in section 120.00 of the
penal law or arson in the third degree as defined in section 150.10 of
the penal law, when such crime is charged as a hate crime as defined in
section 485.05 of the penal law;
(n) aggravated assault upon a person less than eleven years old as
defined in section 120.12 of the penal law or criminal possession of a
weapon on school grounds as defined in section 265.01-a of the penal
law;
(o) grand larceny in the first degree as defined in section 155.42 of
the penal law, enterprise corruption as defined in section 460.20 of the
penal law, or money laundering in the first degree as defined in section
470.20 of the penal law;
(p) failure to register as a sex offender pursuant to section one
hundred sixty-eight-t of the correction law or endangering the welfare
of a child as defined in subdivision one of section 260.10 of the penal
law, where the defendant is required to maintain registration under
article six-C of the correction law and designated a level three
offender pursuant to subdivision six of section one hundred
sixty-eight-l of the correction law;
(q) a crime involving bail jumping under section 215.55, 215.56 or
215.57 of the penal law, or a crime involving escaping from custody
under section 205.05, 205.10 or 205.15 of the penal law;
(r) any felony offense committed by the principal while serving a
sentence of probation or while released to post release supervision;
(s) a felony, where the defendant qualifies for sentencing on such
charge as a persistent felony offender pursuant to section 70.10 of the
penal law; or
(t) any felony or class A misdemeanor involving harm to an
identifiable person or property, where such charge arose from conduct
occurring while the defendant was released on his or her own
recognizance or released under conditions for a separate felony or class
A misdemeanor involving harm to an identifiable person or property,
provided, however, that the prosecutor must show reasonable cause to
believe that the defendant committed the instant crime and any
underlying crime. For the purposes of this subparagraph, any of the
underlying crimes need not be a qualifying offense as defined in this
subdivision.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions three and four of
this section, with respect to any charge for which bail or remand is not
ordered, and for which the court would not or could not otherwise
require bail or remand, a defendant may, at any time, request that the
court set bail in a nominal amount requested by the defendant in the
form specified in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section 520.10 of
this title; if the court is satisfied that the request is voluntary, the
court shall set such bail in such amount.
6. When a securing order is revoked or otherwise terminated in the
course of an uncompleted action or proceeding but the principal's future
court attendance still is or may be required and the principal is still
under the control of a court, a new securing order must be issued. When
the court revokes or otherwise terminates a securing order which
committed the principal to the custody of the sheriff, the court shall
give written notification to the sheriff of such revocation or
termination of the securing order.
