MESSAGE
| DATE | 2021-02-01 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Prostitution Legalized in NYC
|
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/brooklyn-district-attorney-to-vacate-all-prostitution-warrants/ar-BB1dhWkR
Brooklyn District Attorney To Vacate All Prostitution Warrants
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Patch logo Brooklyn District Attorney To Vacate All Prostitution Warrants
There are more than 1,000 warrants for prostitution or loitering for the
purposes of prostitution, which the DA's office doesn't prosecute. ©
Shutterstock There are more than 1,000 warrants for prostitution or
loitering for the purposes of prostitution, which the DA's office
doesn't prosecute.
BROOKLYN, NY — More than 1,000 open cases for prostitution and loitering
for prostitution will be cleared from the books in Brooklyn, the
district attorney announced.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Friday that his office
will vacate all open bench warrants related to prostitution and
loitering for the purposes of prostitution, two charges that his office
recently stopped prosecuting in an effort to keep sex workers out of the
criminal justice system.
The plan includes about 1,112 total warrants dating back to the 1970s,
including a first batch of 262 warrants spanning back to 2012 that the
office vacated this week.
Gonzalez said the plan is a natural step from his decision to no longer
prosecute prostitution and related loitering charges. Since 2020, he has
instead referred those arrested for engaging in prostitution to services
and dismisses their cases.
“These warrants have powerful negative consequences for the individual,
and they undermine public safety," Gonzalez said. "Because someone with
an open warrant is subject to arrest at any time, those engaged in the
selling of sex are more likely to be driven underground and be less
likely to report abuse or other crimes, which makes both them and others
less safe. An outstanding warrant could show up years after it was
issued in a background check for an apartment rental or a job
application, hamstringing someone’s ability to move on from their past
to a more stable and less dangerous way of life."
Gonzalez called on New York State to expunge past prostitution
convictions and to repeal the law that prohibits what is known as
"loitering for the purposes of prostitution," which he says is vague,
creates racial inequality in its enforcement and disproportionately
harms trans women.
In Brooklyn, that would include 25,575 convictions covering both
offenses, dating back to 1975.
Instead of prosecuting those arrested for engaging in prostitution, the
Brooklyn DA has worked to connect them with services including
therapeutic counseling, medical assistance and checkups, educational
services, housing assistance, mental health or substance abuse screening
and therapy and legal assistance with immigration, children’s services
or family court issues.
Whether they accept services or not, the cases are dismissed. The DA's
office prosecuted less than 30 prostitution cases last year.
Gonzalez said the remaining 850 cases between 2011 and 1970s will be
dismissed as soon as it is safe to access the records, which are
archived and barred by the coronavirus pandemic.
--
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
http://www.mrbrklyn.com
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www.brooklyn-living.com
Being so tracked is for FARM ANIMALS and extermination camps,
but incompatible with living as a free human being. -RI Safir 2013
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