CJRA Reform Leads to Steep Declines; 18-24 Year Olds And Black Most Cited in 2019; Marijuana Replaces Alcohol as Most Frequent Charge
December 17, 2020 In 2019, young people, Black people, and people in the Bronx were most likely to be issued criminal summonses in New York City despite a significant decline in the number issued since the Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJRA) was implemented in June 2017, according to a new report, Trends in Issuance of Criminal Summonses in New York City, 2003-2019, from the Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay College.
“Our research shows criminal summons issuance has been declining for years and these declines accelerated after the City Council passed the Criminal Justice Reform Act – resulting in hundreds of thousands fewer criminal cases for things like littering and drinking in public,” said