Cuomo proposes transit ban for subway sex offenders

Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Flickr

By David Brand

Gov. Andrew Cuomo formally proposed banning certain sex offenders from the subway system during his annual State of the State Address Wednesday.

Cuomo had discussed the sex-offender ban multiple times last year, and he again described the concept as he listed several major transit infrastructure projects that he would like the state to pursue.

“Subway cars should not be feeding grounds for predators,” Cuomo said. People should be able to take public transportation “without being harassed, without being molested and without being groped,” he said.

The proposal would prevent “high-risk” sex offenders from using the subway system for up to three years, according to the governor’s office. The state would also establish a new law for transit-related sex crimes and would enable judges to ban convicted defendants from using MTA transportation. Convicted offenders who violate their suspension could be charged with a transit trespass misdemeanor, the governor’s office said.

The Legal Aid Society has already pledged to fight the proposal in court if it became law, stating that the legislation would restrict “access to jobs, critical services, educational opportunities and treatment programs” for people convicted of sex crimes.

“We question the constitutionality of this misguided proposal and we are prepared to challenge it in court should it become law,” the public defender organization said in a statement.