Discovery Reform in the state of New York

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) -- In the state of New York, all prosecutors are required to hand over relevant material to defense attorneys prior to trial. That process is referred to as discovery.

Broome County District Attorney, Mike Korchak said discovery reform was implemented back on Jan. 1st, 2020. He says it puts the burden on prosecutors to turn over evidence within 20 to 35 days which includes police records, witness information and more.

Korchak said this increases the workload on an already strained staff. In Broome County, there are 18 district attorneys working in the office, but they handle over 1,500 felonies per year, several thousand misdemeanors as well as traffic cases.

Korchak says this forces DA offices to prioritize certain cases over others. In Broome County he says, they have to prioritize the violent and sex crimes while the lower-level cases don’t get the attention that they deserve.

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