Posted on April 20, 2020

Inmates Committing Crimes After Coronavirus Release ‘Unconscionable’: De Blasio

Julia Marsh and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, New York Post, April 20, 2020

It is “unconscionable” that Riker’s Island inmates who were released due to coronavirus concerns are committing new crimes, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

“I think it’s unconscionable just on a human level that folks were shown mercy and this is what some of them have done,” the mayor said during his morning briefing Monday, which came on the heels of a Post report outlining the issue.

{snip}

“We do see some recidivism. I have not seen a huge amount but any amount is obviously troubling,” he said.

{snip}

More than 1,400 city inmates have been granted early releases due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus inside jailhouses, Hizzoner said.

The Post reported Sunday that at least 50 of the newly released Riker’s Island prisoners were rearrested for new crimes in recent weeks — and in some cases were cut loose again.

{snip}