ALBANY, N.Y. — District attorneys across New York state are voicing concerns about several bills the state Legislature is considering that could drastically reduce the amount of time incarcerated people serve.

Erie County DA Michael Keane, a Democrat, wrote lawmakers asking them to oppose bills known to proponents as the Fair and Timely Parole and Elder Parole Acts.

The former, he said, will lessen the gravity of initial crimes committed by asking parole boards to prioritize an individual's institutional record over other factors.

The latter, he said, essentially eliminates the sentence of life without parole by allowing any incarcerated person over the age of 55 who has served 15 years to be considered.

Late last month, Suffolk County Republican Ray Tierney raised the same issues in a New York Post editorial.

"The proponents of this bill are out of touch of the concerns with the citizens of this state," Tierney said.

On Tuesday, the Rochester Police Locust Club criticized the Fair and Timely Act and yet another parole reform. The union also asked citizens to contact their legislators about the Earned Time Act, which would allow incarcerated individuals to bank sentence reductions for good behavior.

Locust Club Executive Vice President Paul Dondorfer said violent criminals could see sentences reduced by as much as 75%.

"If there's not severe punishments for some of these violent criminals, there's no incentive for them not to act in violent manners," Dondorfer said.

However, Democratic Assembly Member Anna Kelles, who is the primary sponsor of the Earned Time Act and a co-sponsor of the other two bills, believes much of the opposition is fearmongering. She said parole boards still have discretion, rehabilitation should be the goal and there's evidence these types of measures have worked in other states. 

"We want to use science and data and best practices so that we can distinguish, clearly identify, those people who are ready to re-enter into society and will pose no public safety threat," Kelles said.

The Assembly member said the governor put a truncated version of the Earned Time Act on the table for the budget this week, but Kelles said she'd like to see the full version included.

The other bills, which have stalled in the Legislature in the past, have seen some recent movement in committees and opposition say they are concerned enough about their potential for passage they are mobilizing.