And downgrade felony charges in armed robberies and drug dealing as part of sweeping new policy.
Manhattan’s new district attorney has unveiled a sweeping new policy to only seek prison sentences for a handful of offenses, and downgrade or dismiss charges for many felony crimes – and Mayor Eric Adams is on board with the plan.
- Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg issued the sweeping policy memo on Monday
- Will only seek prison time for homicide and limited number of other charges
- Vows to downgrade many felonies including cases of armed robbery
- New DA also said he will refuse to prosecute many low-level offenses
- New Mayor Eric Adams, a former cop, said he supports Bragg’s policies
- ‘I think he’s on Team Public Safety,’ Adams said of the progressive new DA
Alvin Bragg, who took office over the weekend, revealed his progressive new approach in a ‘day one policies and procedures’ memo released on Monday.
The Democrat said offenses like marijuana misdemeanors, prostitution, resisting arrest and fare dodging will no longer be prosecuted.
Bragg instructed prosecutors to stop seek prison sentences for crimes except for homicides, assaults resulting in serious injury, domestic violence felonies, sex offenses, public corruption, and ‘major economic crimes’.
The directive comes despite New York City seeing a surge in violent crime. City-wide, crime statistics published in December by the NYPD show that shootings, murders and auto grand larceny have all nearly doubled while murder is up 50 percent in the city compared to 2019.
