An initiative implemented by the Manhattan’s District Attorney’s Office, the Mayor’s office and the NYPD will aim to lessen the amount of arrests due to low-level, nonviolent misdemeanors, such as jumping the turnstiles in subway stations.
According to DNA Info, starting in September, “…the majority of those arrested for turnstile jumping in Manhattan will be issued civil summonses or a desk appearance ticket that prosecutors will decline to prosecute if offenders complete counseling sessions or other diversion program before arraignment.” The desk appearance ticket would cost $100, according to the MTA.
Individuals in possession of small amounts of crack, cocaine and oxycodone will also reportedly be decriminalized, due to the city’s efforts to reduce the high volume of criminal cases and lessen the number of people behind bars.
“My Office has worked with the NYPD and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice to end the criminal prosecution of tens of thousands of low-level cases that needlessly bog down our Criminal Court and swell our City’s jail population,” says Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.