The New York City Council passed yesterday the Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJRA), a package of bills, which will lower penalties for low-level, non-violent offenses.
It is estimated that the CJRA will divert over 100,000 cases from the criminal court system every year, save close to 10,000 people annually from having a permanent criminal record for minor offenses, and avoid the issuance of over 50,000 warrants each year. The vote on this legislation comes after a hearing in January, and over a year after Speaker Mark-Viverito laid out her case for criminal justice reform in her 2015 State of the City address.
The CJRA creates more proportional penalties for certain low-level, non-violent offenses. These include having an open container of alcohol in public, parks rules, littering, public urination, and unreasonable noise. These offenses will continue to be illegal; however, the CRJA will establish that the preferred venue for pursuing penalties for these offenses will be in civil, rather than criminal court. The CJRA will also reduce the available jail penalties to 1 day for these violations, and establish uniform penalties for these offenses throughout the City, including in parks.
