Alvin Bragg Manhattan DA prosecution guidelines
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Manhattan’s new DA has ordered his prosecutors to stop seeking prison sentences for hordes of criminals and to downgrade felony charges in cases including armed robberies and drug dealing, according to a set of progressive policies made public Tuesday.

In his first memo to staff on Monday, Alvin Bragg said his office “will not seek a carceral sentence” except with homicides and a handful of other cases, including domestic violence felonies, some sex crimes and public corruption.

“This rule may be excepted only in extraordinary circumstances based on a holistic
analysis of the facts, criminal history, victim’s input (particularly in cases of
violence or trauma), and any other information available,” the memo reads.

Assistant district attorneys must also now keep in mind the “impacts of incarceration” including on public safety, barriers to housing and employment, financial cost and race disparities, Bragg instructed.

In cases where prosecutors do seek to put a convict behind bars, the request can be for no more than 20 years for a determinate sentence, meaning one that can’t be reviewed or changed by a parole board.

“The Office shall not seek a sentence of life without parole,” the memo states.

Bragg’s memo also detailed the following instructions for prosecutors to reduce charges filed by cops in various cases:

      • Armed robbers who use guns or other deadly weapons to stick up stores and other businesses will be prosecuted only for petty larceny, a misdemeanor, provided no victims were seriously injured and there’s no “genuine risk of physical harm” to anyone.
      • Convicted criminals caught with weapons other than guns will have those felony charges downgraded to misdemeanors unless they’re also charged with more serious offenses.
      • Burglars who steal from residential storage areas, parts of homes that aren’t “accessible to a living area” and businesses located in mixed-use buildings will be prosecuted for a low-level, class D felony that only covers break-ins instead of for more serious crimes.
      • Drug dealers believed to be “acting as a low-level agent of a seller” will be prosecuted only for misdemeanor possession. Also, suspected dealers will only be prosecuted on felony charges if they’re also accused of more serious crimes or are actually caught in the act of selling drugs.

— Larry Celona, Tamar Lapin, Tina Moore, Reuven Fenton and Bruce Golding in Manhattan DA to stop seeking prison sentences in slew of criminal cases

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73 COMMENTS

    • Soon to be surrounded by an “Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier” much like the former Berlin Wall and Inter-German border?

      Can’t let those taxpayers leave.

    • This is what you get when you vote for a Libertarian/Progressive DA. The much hated “Law and Order Republicans” (the 1970’s) are coming back. Or will the big city liberal democrats start throwing minority criminals into prison? In order to get re-elected.

  2. All the criminals of NY should vote in the DA of their choosing that best “represents” them. Then they can loot stores unabated, while the DA announces nothing is wrong with it.

    #makeyourneighborhoodaslum

    • Seems to me that they already have him. Question is, are there enough folks who think otherwise, to throw the bum out?

  3. Won’t seek penalties for minor crimes?

    I see a green light for homeowners to purchase their own self defense here. If the armed robber isn’t going to be prosecuted, then obviously, the home defender won’t be prosecuted either, right?

    To be perfectly honest, the law prosecutes stupid stuff anyway. Case in point, the Rittenhouse trial. All the boy should have been charged with, is curfew violation. And then, that should have been dismissed.

    We NEED the Supreme Court to rule on several cases, making gun control illegal again. THAT would fix a whole lot of ills with the justice system.

    • “If the armed robber isn’t going to be prosecuted, then obviously, the home defender won’t be prosecuted either, right?”

      Wrong.

      Re-read it again :

      “Convicted criminals caught with weapons other than guns will have those felony charges downgraded to misdemeanors unless they’re also charged with more serious offenses.”

      You can bet your ass if forced to go shall-issue by the SCotUS that fascist DA will bend over backwards to make sure a legally-licensed concealed-carrier will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law so they can void that carry permit.

      …because that’s what fascists do… 🙁

        • Awwww, are you *triggered*? 🙂

          Get ready to completely pop a circuit breaker, little boy!

          (A *very* little boy, if you know what I mean… 😉 )

  4. So, what’s the endgame with this synchronized decriminalization of felonious behavior?
    Societal destabilization? Creating racists through learned experiences? Stoking anti-government sentiment through intentional bad action? Cover for some wild toxic vaccination conspiracy? Distraction from the collapse of the dollar? Demoralize anyone who still think America is salvageable?

    All of the above and more?

    • “So, what’s the endgame with this synchronized decriminalization of felonious behavior?”

      To me, it smells a lot like they want violent crime to skyrocket so they can claim the only way to solve it is to repeal the second amendment.

      Anyways –

      I ran across a fascinating article last night that POTG should get a good chuckle over :

      https://americanmind.org/salvo/blue-americas-messaging-problem/

        • I like the cut of his jib.

          They won’t ‘let us’ split off from them? We have 10s of *thousands* of combat veterans thanks to 20 years of ‘The War on Terror’, folks who have put other scummy people in their gunsights, and they have what? 😉

    • IF you elect, convict, jail the SOBs they can’t vote demtard when needed. Or in theory can’t vote.

  6. I taught Sociology for 12 years, which includes subjects such as deviance and crime. I have 3 degrees. I’ve been a social sciences teacher for 22 years. In my humble opinion this is STUPID, and that’s the best word for it.

    • “In my humble opinion this is STUPID, and that’s the best word for it.”

      It’s far worse than stupid, it’s a deliberate part of a plan.

      If it was simply stupid, you could reason with them to educate them on *why* it’s wrong.

      They want this to happen, and they don’t give a shit if a lot of innocent people will be hurt, or worse. That makes the next steps they have planned easier for them.

      It’s flat evil…

  7. It’s hilarious how progressives think they’re the compassionate ones. There’s nothing compassionate about this. Every reasonable person should leave these extreme blue states. There’s no “taking back” NY or CA. It’s only going to get worse. There won’t be any divorce or secession of states.

    Want real change? The only way is to leave and populate purple states. It wouldn’t even take that many people. Support primary opponents to take out the old establishment guard that got us into this mess. Stop supporting the long list of major corporations that hate you.

    • “It’s hilarious how progressives think they’re the compassionate ones. There’s nothing compassionate about this.”

      Leftist Scum like them are realists, and worse, they are pragmatic.

      The ones at the top are fully aware of the implications, but will write it off as needing to break a few eggs to make that Leftist Scum omelette they crave…

      • Yeah, they’re down with the plan, but their army of useful fools are led to believe they’re compassionate for supporting this insanity…as they mock and cancel anyone that disagrees with them. What a twisted bunch.

    • To Progressives the criminal is the true victim of an unjust society and we as members of that society need to be punished for provoking the criminal into their desperate acts by flaunting our privilege.

    • The softness of crime in the name of racial justice will destroy minority communities. Failing to imprison robbers means they will continue to rob the stores and residents in their neighborhood. San Francisco has shown how that leads to bankruptcies of independent stores and chains closing locations. Jobs disappear and critical services leave the area. There are already issues with “food deserts” in these communities, where healthy, nutritious food isn’t locally available. This makes me question whether Soros a deluded fool or a deliberate racist?

  8. Any wonder why no criminal citizens of the City and State are fleeing droves? Stupid a$$es voted these progressives into office and after seeing how those progressive policies are to play out flee the mess they made only to start that crap all over again in a Red state where criminals go to jail!!!

  9. Looks like I will not be going to NY any time soon. My wife wants to see the statue of liberty but that is on indefinite hold now. Armed robbery is a crime of extreme violence and there is the threat of your life when you are the victim. This DA needs to see some criminals in their natural habitat and get some life lessons.

    • My advice: fly in and out of EWR some time. You should get a bird’s eye view of Ellis Island and the harbor at least once. It worked for me, got a good enough look that I don’t need to go back.

    • Down state, to say, NYC and the Blue counties surrounding NYC are quite different from the Upstate NY.
      Like, the difference between night and day.

  10. And the democRat clown show continues to get worse…Keep it up, America needs to see more of it until they get sick of it and flush the democRat Party.

  11. The exit of productive and civilized people will erode the tax base. Less money for services, causing more people to leave. A downward spiral that is difficult to stop.

    • Jimmy Beam,

      First and foremost, the Ruling Class in New York and New York City could care less. They will ensure that they get their handsome portion of whatever tax revenue remains and laugh all the way to the (Cayman Islands) bank. Notice how the Ruling Class is always extremely comfortable even in the poorest of banana republics. How much more will the Ruling Class in New York and New York City be sitting pretty?

      Second of all, New York City is the de facto financial capital of the United States and home to several huge (wealthy) corporations. There will always be incomprehensible amounts of cash to raid tax. Even if New York lost 5 million residents and their associated tax revenue (which would total about $24 billion), that is a drop in the bucket compared to the tax revenue from taxing the financial markets and huge corporations.

      The Ruling Class in New York and New York City will only react to two incentives: losing all of their money and losing their lives.

      • IMO the financial markets are in New York City by tradition, not necessity.

        With modern computerized systems and faced with the intentional destruction of that traditional location they could easily take their businesses and money to Florida or any other free State.

        • Cliff H,

          I am having a very hard time imagining what would have to happen in New York City for the financial markets to relocate to some other state. Short of major destruction along the lines of the result of World War II London/Dresden bombing campaigns, I don’t see the financial markets moving.

          Remember, the people who are integral to the financial markets and the giant corporations in New York City are the Ruling Class. They call the shots. If they do not like the trajectory that they are on, they will change it. For now, it sure looks like they like their trajectory.

        • “Leon Cooperman, the billionaire former hedge fund manager and CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, previously moved to Florida. He said of his move, “I suspect Florida will soon rival New York as a finance hub,” due in part to the “Tax and Spend” policies of New York.”

          https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/12/14/wall-street-banks-and-tech-companies-are-fleeing-new-york-and-california/?sh=12f43b70661a

          “A recent study showed that at least 20% of Wall Street banks and financial services firms have thought about relocating workers to other locations outside of New York.”

          “Officials from Nasdaq and other major stock exchanges will meet with Gov. Greg Abbott on Nov. 20 (2020) in Austin to discuss a possible move from New Jersey to Texas”

        • “I suspect Florida will soon rival New York as a finance hub,” due in part to the “Tax and Spend” policies of New York.”

          In Florida, no individual income tax and at-will employment makes the home of ‘Florida Man’ attractive to individuals and corporations.

          The cost of cooling your home in summer is roughly equal to the cost of heating up north, so that’s a wash.

          Real estate is vastly cheaper than urban NYC…

  12. But if you defended yourself from these thugs with a firearm, he’d surely seek a life sentence.

  13. Cuomo was a bad Governor, they said. Get rid of him, they said. So they did…and the next one was just as bad.

    DeBlasio was a bad Mayor, they said. Get rid of him, they said. So they did…and the next one was just as bad.

    Manhattan’s DA was bad, they said…..

    What is wrong with New Yorkers?? Have they never heard of Einstein’s famous definition of insanity?

    • Not sure it gets covered in our 1619 CRT common core curriculum………..sadly this is not sarcasm tagged.

    • Don’t worry. By not spending time on these minor criminals, he can focus his department’s resources on investigating any crimes Trump and his associations have committed in NYC. He’ll also be able to file actions in Federal courts to stop Republican policies once they regain power.

  14. “[Alvin Bragg’s office] ‘will not seek a [prison] sentence’ [for] … some sex crimes…”

    So, some sex crimes are not serious after all. Who knew?

    (Note: if groping someone outside their clothing was/is a felony, I can see refusing to charge those as a felony (not that groping someone is okay). If anything beyond groping will be treated as a misdemeanor, that is seriously messed up.)

    Just when I thought Progressives could not sink any lower, they surprise me again. Still.

  15. “Armed robbers who use guns or other deadly weapons to stick up stores and other businesses will be prosecuted only for petty larceny, a misdemeanor, provided no victims were seriously injured and there’s no “genuine risk of physical harm” to anyone.”

    WTF?

    It’s up to the victims and the police to use their ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) to pre-determine if the thug would have actually used his / her deadly weapon. The threat / fear of imminent bodily harm has been written out of The Big Apple’s criminal code as practiced by their warmer, fuzzier, gentler Attorney’s General.

    NYC you deserve this ignorant mother-blanker!

    • So another black Dim is following the “lead” of Kim Foxx in Chiraq? Got it. Soros $ has an enormous reach…who’s surprised???

    • This bullshit is all in the name of “equity”, as in: we don’t have a chance in hell of getting a certain demographic group to behave and not be grossly overrepresented statistically, so in order to show “progress” we will grossly reduce the number of offences that we will charge them with… Viola, we’re making a huge difference in reducing violence.

  16. I thought I was reading a screenplay for the next Back to the Future series where Biff Tannen takes control of New York. But no, truth is stranger than fiction…

  17. Assistant district attorneys must also now keep in mind the “impacts of incarceration” including on public safety, barriers to housing and employment, financial cost and race disparities, Bragg instructed.

    And they say justice is blind. What does someone’s pigmentation have to do with sentencing?

    • Most crime happens between people of the same race and socioeconomic status. The end result of all this will be more assaulted, robbed, and otherwise victimized black people. All in the name of “racial justice.” It’s completely f*cked.

  19. They are not even trying to hide it, as they once did; but it has been true for a very long time, that Democraps, in general, are on the side of criminals, and against the side of human beings.

    They are willfully complicit, guilty as accessories to all of the crimes that they enable; and so is anyone who votes for them.

  21. this shit is going to continue until a group of vigilantes start taking matters into their own hands.

  22. That’s actually a pretty good plan, now you can conceal carry and it’s no big deal, the more violations it sounds the better off you are.
    No use locking up a small time somebody selling drugs, that’s what keeps their families in food and nessisitys.
    And what the heck , an armed robbery as long as no one is hurt is just an insurance claim.
    The DOC gets a bad reputation by locking up criminals, they’re trying to change that, after all we want the prisons to be a happy place, somewhere to take the family, enjoy a day out, eat fine cuisine, play basketball, join the health club.
    It’s all good.

    • Until businesses close because the insurance premiums are so expensive they can’t make any money and can’t operate without insurance.

  23. I’ve been to NYC a couple of times. Things weren’t bad at all back then. I kept my head on ball bearings but never saw anything that concerned me. I stayed out of the subways and payed attention. Had a good time.

    • I stay out of Subway too, actually they won’t let me in, their trash dumpsters are a good place to hang out though, foods free and it’s better then what their selling inside.

  26. Two influential Dims publicly at war with each other is always a win for freedom.

    In a tenuous string of thought about crime and punishment, and who is doing what about it….

    https://www.advancepeace.org/
    (an organization targeting the 30% who commit 70% of crimes)

  27. Give it a few months, and NYC will look like San Fran or other Dem ran cities, lawlessness, rampant crime, and those who can, leaving for Red States.

  28. This Progressive DA and other politicians like him helped to create the terrible crime situation in New York City, when they eschewed the father in the family. And replaced him with a government welfare check. And replaced his guns with the guns of a big city police department.

    Now people like him who hate the nuclear family believe they can solve the problem by simply not Prosecuting criminals??? His type will never admit that an intact nuclear family is the best way to solve a crime problem and most social problems in the world.

  29. To paraphrase Sun Tsu; “Never interupt an enemy when he is making a mistake.”
    Let the DA play his games and let the city and much of the state go down the sewer hole. I’ll stay out here in flyover country and clean my guns and enjoy my freedoms.

  30. Simplify his job. Catch someone engaged in a crime and using a firearm, shoot them dead. Catch someone in your house, assaulting you or family members, rioting, destroying property, carjacking, shoot them dead. Negative consequences correct bad behavior far better than coddling behavior.

  31. The new DA has his marching orders direct from George Soros. It has been Soros’ plan for a number of years to place radical politicians in office throughout the country for the sole purpose of destabilizing and destroying America internally. Soros has funded local, county, state and federal elected officials in key positions for that express reason. George Soros wants to help destroy America along with the Communist Democrat Party. He is the real ‘Dr. Evil’.

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