By Gregg McQueen
Not on his watch.
New Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg does not plan to prosecute offenses like transit fare evasion, prostitution and marijuana misdemeanors.
In a memo sent to staff members on January 3, Bragg outlined changes to charging, bail, plea and sentencing policies that would advance the goals of “safety and fairness” and focus the office on prosecuting violent crime.
“Data, and my personal experiences, show that reserving incarceration for matters involving significant harm will make us safer,” Bragg wrote in the memo.
He also called for greater investments in diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration and a reduction in pretrial incarceration.
“These policy changes not only will, in and of themselves, make us safer; they also will free up prosecutorial resources to focus on violent crime,” Bragg wrote.
He said marijuana misdemeanors, trespassing, fare evasion and resisting arrest will not be prosecuted, unless also accompanied by a felony charge.
Read more: Pass on prosecution | Bronx Free Press
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