Posted by 
By: Thomas Parsons ’25
Having served as a police officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department prior to starting at UB I knew I wanted to focus on criminal law and prosecution. Thanks to the University at Buffalo School of Law Summer Public Interest Funding & Fellowship Program I was able to spend the summer interning with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office within the Buffalo City Court Bureau.
Having experience as a police officer, I was eager to learn how cases are handled post arrest, and the process through which cases are strengthened to meet the higher burden of the court system. By observing arraignments, DA conferences, felony hearings and assisting with research and discovery preparation, I was able to gain valuable experience and knowledge of criminal law and prosecution.
Having moved to New York, with no desire to return to Tennessee, I was also interested to observe the differences between the criminal justice system of New York and Tennessee. Having heard of the progressive nature of the New York justice system I expected it to differ greatly from that of Tennessee where a criminal resolution is often the only option in handling a case. To my surprise, I found a progressive system set up to help defendants and provide solutions beyond criminal prosecution which had been completely hamstrung by the introduction of criminal bail reform. Programs designed to defer defendants from criminal prosecution and into services such as addiction or mental health treatment are available but not being widely utilized, not because of lack of resources or prosecutorial conduct, but of reforms that purport to be in the interest of the same defendants.
As anyone who has heard a bail argument will tell you, “The purpose of bail is not punitive, but to ensure the defendant will return to court.” By removing the courts discretion in making determinations of who is appropriate for bail the legislature ensured defendants aren’t held on bail for low level offenses lowering incentives for entering deferment programs and increasing the likelihood of defendant’s failing to appear. In turn this limits the number of defendant’s eligible for these programs as those with failures to appear are likely not to qualify as courts and programs determine defendants who have failed to show up in court are unlikely to show up for voluntary treatment programs. In limiting who is eligible for bail, the legislature has sabotaged other reform programs, and increased the number of cases that will be handled in a criminal posture.
My summer in the DA’s Office was an incredible opportunity to experience firsthand what it means to be a prosecutor in New York. This opportunity was made possible by the generous support Francis and Cindy Letro and the University at Buffalo School of Law’s Summer Public Interest Funding & Fellowship Program, who awarded me the Public Interest Fellowship Award.
Name: Thomas Parsons ’25
Fellowship: UB School of Law Public Interest Summer Fellowship
Placement: Erie County District Attorney’s Office
Location: Buffalo, NY
One important lesson I have learned from this fellowship: “You could give a defense attorney access to every file in the office and they’ll probably still argue they didn’t receive full discovery.”
UB School of Law Responds 