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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg To Send Only Certain Criminals To Prison

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Taylor Giles Contributor
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Newly-elected Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced there will be no prison time in any case unless the defendant is found guilty of murder, other violent felonies, sex offenses, or major white collar crimes.

Bragg sent a memo to “all staff” Monday with new changes to the district attorney’s office, according to the memo.

“The Office will not seek a carceral sentence other than for homicide or other cases involving death of a victim, a class B violent felony … domestic violence felonies, sex offenses … public corruption … or major economic crimes,” the memo reads.

Charges that will also not be prosecuted include marijuana possession, trespass, resisting arrest, prostitution, and “obscenity” related charges, according to the memo.

Bragg noted how he has seen crime firsthand in the press release.

“These policies are rooted in these life experiences and professional experiences and substantiated by data,” a Manhattan District Attorney press release reads. “They reflect both the need for fundamental reforms in the criminal legal system and the need for community safety.” (RELATED: Apparently Random Stabbing Part Of Huge Surge In NYC Subway Crime)

“The two goals of justice and safety are not opposed to each other. They are inextricably linked,” the press release says. “We deserve and demand both, and that has been the focus of my career, and indeed, my life.”

Out of 485 arrests for rioting and looting in 2020 in NYC, 222 arrests were dropped and 73 were convicted of lesser offenses that do not require jail time.

New York City recorded a 97% increase in shootings in 2020, from 777 in 2019 to 1,531 in 2020, including a 44% increase in murders. This accounted for one of New York City’s bloodiest years in almost 10 years.