Are DA Alvin Bragg's anti-incarceration views good for society?

[AgnosticBoy]

A series of Fox News articles caste the justice system in Manhattan NY in a negative light due to its anti-incarceration and anti-prosecutorial stance. I'll post some of the highlights of the article. We can then discuss if the ideas in the articles are harmful or good to society...

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's chief prosecutor, Meg Reiss, bragged about letting violent criminals and felons off the hook – including a murderer – using her restorative justice approach to help them avoid incarceration, Fox News Digital found.

"We know incarceration doesn't really solve any problems," Reiss said during a Peace Institute event in May 2021. Fox News Digital has previously reported that Reiss said criminals are not "bad dudes" while simultaneously blasting juries for believing police officers facing misconduct allegations deserve the "benefit of the doubt."

"In New York City, we operate the… alternative-to-incarceration and victim-service program… that focuses on violent felonies in the adult courts," the organization said.

Common Justice aids its partners to "develo[p] and advanc[e] solutions to violence that… foster racial equity without relying on incarceration."

Reiss also blasted the idea that criminals in New York illegally possessing firearms should amount to jail time.

Source: Fox News

The above is about Alvin Bragg's chief prosecutor, Meg Reiss. Here's another article about Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg:

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said during his campaign that racial equity needed to be a priority and that he didn't believe thievery should be prosecuted since it was a "crime of poverty."

During the May 2021 meeting, Bragg articulated his intention to focus on racial equity instead of prosecuting theft.

Bragg was speaking to a group from Young New Yorkers in May 2021. The organization "applies a racial justice framework to… all levels of operations" as it diverts individuals facing charges under the age of 25 from the criminal justice system.

"In Manhattan, every single step in the way a case is processed from what someone is charged with, to the plea they are offered, to the sentence they are given, is rife with racial disparities," Bragg said during the 2021 meeting.

"For too long the DA's office has been an adjunct of the NYPD, reflexively processing what they do," he said. Bragg added that prosecution should have its own approach and shouldn't "reflexively" process arrests made by the NYPD.

Source: Fox News

Your reaction. Of course, you don't have to agree with Fox News take on these issues. Are the ideas of Meg Reiss and Alvin Bragg in the article helpful or harmful to society?

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Your reaction. Of course, you don't have to agree with Fox News take on these issues. Are the ideas of Meg Reiss and Alvin Bragg in the article helpful or harmful to society?

I think much of Alvin Bragg's views are good when it comes to racism in the justice system. What I don't agree with is how it is implemented as I don't see anti-incarceration as a good solution. Although, this is definitely a better idea then what some of the justice reform crowd used to advocate for when it came to their "defund the police" stance.

In my view, criminals need to be detained BUT I wouldn't hold it on their record. Just letting them out relatively quickly or not detaining them at all will most likely lead to them committing crimes again and police end up having to rearrest the same people. I would much rather there be some type of merit based system, where those incarcerated have a chance for their record to be cleared if they display good behavior for a period of time. I think that would be a good incentive.