FILE – In this March 16, 2011, file photo, a security fence surrounds inmate housing on the Rikers Island correctional facility in New York.
Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office confirmed 1,500 inmates had been released from city jails in response to the coronavirus. Yet, according to police sources, at least 50 of those inmates have already committed new crimes and landed back behind bars.
This dramatic reduction in the inmate population has irked elected leaders and those in the police department, who claimed reoffenders are taking full advantage of the pandemic.
“What we are seeing is criminals exploiting a pandemic,” stated Assemblyman Mike LiPetri (R-N.Y.). “We should be focusing on law abiding Americans, rather than focusing on releasing criminals back into our communities.”
31-year-old Bronx resident Daeshawn Sharperson was initially jailed for setting his girlfriend’s home on fire, and received a four-month sentence. However, his sentence was cut short after he and about 100 other inmates were released early.
Roughly a week later, police records showed Sharperson returned to the apartment and allegedly threatened to kill the entire family.
FILE – This June 20, 2014 file photo shows the Rikers Island jail complex in New York with the Manhattan skyline in the background. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
According to LiPetri, a more viable solution would have been to isolate high risk prisoners. He argued many prisoners had no signs, symptoms or any real risk of contracting the virus.
“There are plenty of vacant buildings now, especially in New York City, that could be used to house those that are specifically vulnerable for medical reasons. Not those that are trying to exploit the situation, but rather, those that are truly at a health risk. You can isolate those individuals in different buildings, separate from the jails, that can still be monitored while maintaining social distancing.”
– Mike LiPetri, New York Assemblyman
At least a dozen additional states in the U.S. have released inmates as the crisis has progressed.
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