Manhattan’s newly elected chief prosecutor has ordered staff to quit seeking prison sentences for all but a few of the most heinous crimes
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has used his first memo since taking office to direct prosecutors to quit sending criminals to prison in many cases and downgrade charges for such crimes as armed robbery and drug dealing.
Prosecutors in New York City’s most densely populated borough must no longer seek a “carceral sentence” except in a handful of cases, such as homicide, rape and major economic crimes, Bragg said on Monday in the memo. He added that assistant district attorneys also must weigh the impact of their sentencing recommendations on public safety, barriers to housing and racial disparities in incarceration.
Bragg joins a long list of district attorneys in major US cities who were elected with the backing of Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros, who reportedly gave up to $1 million to his successful campaign. And like other Soros-backed prosecutors, he’s trying to reform the criminal justice system by sending fewer people to jail and decriminalizing some lesser offenses.
This seems like a big deal. Newly elected Manhattan DA Bragg promises no prison time for any sentence except for murder and some violent felonies (plus white collar and government malfeasance). This is after trial and conviction. https://t.co/QgrNTFMahG pic.twitter.com/bqLuRK6CV3
— Peter Moskos (@PeterMoskos) January 4, 2022
But violent crime has surged under those policies in such cities as Chicago, which just suffered its deadliest year in a quarter century, and Philadelphia, where homicides hit an all-time in 2021. New York also has been plagued by rising violent crime, including murders and hate crimes targeting Asians.
Read more
