De Blasio Surprised to Learn Inmates He Released Have Committed New Crimes
New York City mayor released hundreds of criminals over coronavirus concerns
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New York City's Democrat mayor, Bill de Blasio, is surprised to learn that many of the criminals he recently released from jail over coronavirus fears have already committed new crimes.
After learning that inmates released from NYC's notorious Rikers Island were committing new crimes, de Blasio lamented dolefully that the criminals’ actions were “unconscionable.”
“I think it’s unconscionable just on a human level that folks were shown mercy and this is what some of them have done,” de Blasio said as he mourned during his morning briefing.
De Blasio tried to protest that only a few of the released criminals are committing new crimes, saying, "We do see some recidivism.
"I have not seen a huge amount, but any amount is obviously troubling.
"We’re going to just keep buckling down on it, making sure there’s close monitoring and supervision to the maximum step possible and the NYPD is going to keep doing what they’re doing.”
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At least 50 of 1,500 inmates released from lockup over concerns that the virus could spread quickly within a jail have been rearrested, according to the New York Post.
Some of the inmates recaptured have been released again under the city’s program to decrease jail populations during the pandemic, The Daily Wire reported.
The New York Times reported on March 30, “In New York City, where the jail system’s chief physician warned several days ago that ‘a storm is coming,’ Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city had released at least 650 people by Sunday from Rikers Island, the city’s main jail complex.
"Most of those inmates were convicted of nonviolent crimes and serving sentences of less than a year.
"Hundreds more were under review for possible release.”
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In May 2019, de Blasio stated he wanted to “more than triple” the number of teens released from jails with no bail.
He insisted they would be freed even if they had been charged with armed robbery, assault or burglary.
Last September the de Blasio administration announced that the City Planning Commission had approved closing the prison at Rikers Island.
He stated, “With today’s vote, we are one step closer to closing Rikers Island and creating a smaller, safer, fairer jail system.
"That’s one step closer to bringing people back to their communities and families, one step closer to ending the cycle of recidivism and one step closer to ending mass incarceration once and for all.”
