Manhattan’s newly elected District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, has ordered the prosecutors to quit seeking prison sentences for many offenses, and to reduce felony charges in cases which involve drug dealing and armed robberies.
During Alvin Bragg’s first memo to his staff on Monday, he said his office “won’t seek a carceral sentence” except with murders and a few other cases including some sex crimes, domestic violence felonies, and public corruption.
“There might be an exception to this rule only in extraordinary circumstances that’s based on a holistic analysis surrounding the facts, victim’s input, criminal history and any other information made available,” reads Bragg’s memo.
According to Alvin Bragg, whose campaign received a donation from George Soros in the amount of $1 million, also told assistant District Attorneys that they have to keep in mind the “effects of incarceration,” which include whether it actually boosts public safety.
This is insane. You can carjack a dozen people at gunpoint, and as long as you don't use the gun to seriously injure someone, the Manhattan DA won't seek prison time for you. https://t.co/gubG1s5TDk
— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) January 4, 2022
When prosecutors would like to put a convict in jail, they cannot ask for over 20 years for a ‘determinate’ sentence.
What’s more, “The Office will not seek a life sentence without parole,” which according to state laws is a punishment reserved for only the worst offenders; terrorists, serial killers, murderers, cop killers, and individuals who kill children younger than 14 during torture or sex crimes.
According to the memo, “Assistant DAs should use their own experience and judgment to evaluate the individual arrested and identify those: who are suffering from mental illnesses; who commit certain crimes of poverty; who are unhoused; or who are suffering from substance abuse disorders,” while “Charges should be made consistent with the goal of giving services to such persons.”
Bragg claims these changes will “not only make us safer but they also will free up prosecutorial resources to focus on more violent crime.”
What’s more, “new policies and initiatives on guns, hate crimes, sex crimes, and other matters will be announced soon.”
Paul GiGiacomo was completely against Alvin Bragg’s memo.
“Bragg provides the roadmap to freedom from prosecution to criminals,” GiGiacomo stated, adding “In Bragg’s Manhattan, you could resist arrest, obstruct arrests, deal drugs, and even carry guns and get away with it.”
Meanwhile, the head of the NYPD’s biggest union expressed “serious worries about the message these kinds of policies send to both criminals and police officers on the street.”
“Police officers do not want to be sent out in the streets to enforce laws that the DA won’t prosecute,” said Patrick Lynch. “And there are already too many individuals who think that they can commit crimes, interfere with cops, resist arrest and face no consequences.”
Author: Scott Dowdy
