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FIRST DEPT REDUCED DEFENDANT’S SORA RISK LEVEL FROM THREE TO TWO, BASED PRIMARILY UPON DEFENDANT’S USE OF EDUCATIONAL AND REHABILITATIVE RESOURCES WHILE IN PRISON.

The First Department took the unusual step of reducing defendant’s SORA risk level from three to two. Defendant committed a heinous rape 30 years ago when he was using drugs and alcohol. While in prison defendant earned two bachelor degrees and completed many therapeutic programs:

The Court of Appeals has enunciated a three-step process for determining whether to depart downward from a defendant’s presumptive risk level … . First, a court must decide whether the proffered mitigating circumstance or circumstances are “of a kind, or to a degree, not adequately taken into account by the guidelines” … . Second, a court must determine whether the defendant seeking a downward departure has proven the existence of these alleged mitigating circumstances by a preponderance of the evidence … . If the defendant surmounts these first two steps, a court must then exercise its discretion and determine at the final third step, “whether the totality of the circumstances warrants a departure” …. .

Here, we find that, under this three-step analysis, a departure to level two is warranted. Initially, we note that defendant has met his burden of proving the existence of mitigating circumstances unaccounted for in the Guidelines by a preponderance of the evidence. Defendant’s remarkable rehabilitation and his pain and mobility problems constitute, in this case, the sort of “special circumstances” for which a downward departure is appropriate … . Moreover, defendant supported his application with a number of exhibits, including his degrees, his medical records, and his letters of recommendation. People v Williams, 2017 NY Slip Op 01988, 1st Dept 3-21-17

 

CRIMINAL LAW (FIRST DEPARTMENT REDUCED DEFENDANT’S SORA RISK LEVEL FROM THREE TO TWO, BASED PRIMARILY UPON DEFENDANT’S USE OF EDUCATIONAL AND REHABILITATIVE RESOURCES WHILE IN PRISON)/SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT (SORA) (FIRST DEPARTMENT REDUCED DEFENDANT’S SORA RISK LEVEL FROM THREE TO TWO, BASED PRIMARILY UPON DEFENDANT’S USE OF EDUCATIONAL AND REHABILITATIVE RESOURCES WHILE IN PRISON)

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