#10 Summons Instead of Arrests, a New Ruling in Manhattan
On March 1, 2016, New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Manhattan County District Attorney’s Office announced a new ruling about low-level offenses with regards to treatment to the offenders. Low-level offenses are non-criminal violations such as drinking alcohol in public, taking up to two seats in subways, urinating in public, littering, making too much noise, or parking violations. Starting on March 7, 2016, summons can be issued to offenders of low level offenses instead of arrest, if not found as a public safety risk.
The rise of this policy change rooted from the intention to remove thousands of cases annually from the state courts, and would save valuable police resources and give the opportunity to focus their efforts on the individuals involved in violent crimes in New York City instead. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that this reform helps prevent unnecessary jail time for low-level offenses which is a way to correct the criminal justice system in Manhattan. The legislation was passed in May 2016 and was signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio and became law on June 13, 2016, to create more proportional penalties for certain low-level offenses.1
“For too long, one small wrongdoing came with a huge cost, taking a large toll on New Yorkers’ lives and opportunities. A …show more content…
It also contains the factual allegation which led to the summons and the defendant’s statement in connection with the offense. This is a complete documentation of the allegation, including the information about the issuing officer.3 The offender issued a criminal court summons is required to make a personal court appearance in general and if there is no appearance at the set date, a warrant will be issued for open
On March 1, 2016, New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Manhattan County District Attorney’s Office announced a new ruling about low-level offenses with regards to treatment to the offenders. Low-level offenses are non-criminal violations such as drinking alcohol in public, taking up to two seats in subways, urinating in public, littering, making too much noise, or parking violations. Starting on March 7, 2016, summons can be issued to offenders of low level offenses instead of arrest, if not found as a public safety risk.
The rise of this policy change rooted from the intention to remove thousands of cases annually from the state courts, and would save valuable police resources and give the opportunity to focus their efforts on the individuals involved in violent crimes in New York City instead. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that this reform helps prevent unnecessary jail time for low-level offenses which is a way to correct the criminal justice system in Manhattan. The legislation was passed in May 2016 and was signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio and became law on June 13, 2016, to create more proportional penalties for certain low-level offenses.1
“For too long, one small wrongdoing came with a huge cost, taking a large toll on New Yorkers’ lives and opportunities. A …show more content…
It also contains the factual allegation which led to the summons and the defendant’s statement in connection with the offense. This is a complete documentation of the allegation, including the information about the issuing officer.3 The offender issued a criminal court summons is required to make a personal court appearance in general and if there is no appearance at the set date, a warrant will be issued for open