Stunning order sends NY judges to prisons every year to make sure inmates are OK: What about the victims?

All state criminal- and family-court sentencing judges will soon have to visit a jail or prison at least once a year to see where they’re sending people — a convict-friendly move that’s the first of its kind in the US.The touchy-feely new rule, unveiled by state court officials this week, was hailed by some judicial advocates as compassionate — but critics slammed it as further proof that New York cares more about criminals than their victims.“What about the victims?” fumed Ramon Acavedo, who was nearly bashed to death with a hammer by a thug at a Gristedes supermarket in Chelsea, Manhattan, in July 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.“Should the judges be required to see the harm done to victims and families? What about the way the victims were treated? I’m grateful I’m still alive,” said Acevedo, 70.“It’s someone else’s job to look after the prisoners,” said the assault victim, whose attacker did two years behind bars.“That’s not the judge’s job.”The stunning requirement, which takes effect Jan.

1, 2028, would affect hundreds of judges.“This rule keeps judges better connected to what transpires after sentencing,” Chief Judge Rowan Wilson said.“It deepens a judge’s firsthand understanding of prison conditions and the broad impact of incarceration on individuals, families, and communities, as well as the opportunities available during incarceration.

“The revised rule embodies the principle that judges are not distant arbiters but engaged stewards of justice, whose thoughtful determinations are grounded in reality,” he said.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.The edict replaces a 1970s rule that required judges to visit a correctional facility once every four years.

“The new [rule] will give judges great...