Author: scott prell

Borough Contrast: Prosecution and Court Outcomes Across New York City, 2021-2024

“Borough Contrast: Prosecution and Court Outcomes Across New York City, 2021-2024,” analyzes how criminal legal outcomes vary across the five boroughs during the post-pandemic period (pp. 1, 4).

Below are the key highlights and trends identified in the study:

1. Sharp Rise in Low-Level Arrests

Citywide arrests surged by 62% from 2021 to 2024 (pp. 9, 14). This was driven largely by low-level offenses:

  • Fare Evasion: Increased more than elevenfold (900 to 10,125 arrests) (p. 4).
  • Other Charges: Drug, trespass, and petit larceny arrests all approximately doubled citywide (pp. 4, 13).
  • Borough Leaders: Brooklyn saw the largest increase in misdemeanor (+88%) and nonviolent felony (+73%) arrests, while the Bronx saw the highest spike in violent felony arrests (+49%) (pp. 4, 13).

2. Disparate Prosecution Decisions

Whether a case is prosecuted depends heavily on the borough (pp. 6, 23):

  • The Bronx: Consistently held the highest “declination” rate (refusal to prosecute), declining 40% of misdemeanors and 25% of violent felonies in 2024 (pp. 5, 22-23).
  • Manhattan: Saw a massive shift under DA Alvin Bragg, with misdemeanor declinations rising from 6% in 2021 to 31% in 2024 (pp. 5, 22).
  • Other Boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island declined significantly fewer cases, with Queens declining only 6% of misdemeanors in 2024 (pp. 5, 22).

3. Pretrial Release & Bail

The study found significant differences in how judges handle cases at arraignment (pp. 6, 31):

  • Bail Setting: Queens and Manhattan had the highest bail-setting rates for felonies (pp. 6, 31). In 2024, Manhattan judges set bail/remand in 53% of violent felony cases (p. 31).
  • Ability to Pay: By 2024, bail payment rates at arraignment were exceptionally low (4–6% for misdemeanors), meaning a bail order almost always resulted in immediate incarceration (pp. 6, 36).
  • Supervised Release: Judges citywide increasingly relied on supervised release over “Release on Recognizance” (ROR) for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies (p. 33).

4. Convictions and Sentencing

  • Conviction Rates: Criminal convictions remain rare for misdemeanors (only 5% citywide in 2024) (pp. 7, 38). However, for indicted felonies, conviction rates were high, reaching 95% for violent felonies in Staten Island (pp. 7, 39).
  • Prison Sentences: There was wide variability in prison time for felonies. In 2024, 34% of convicted felony cases in Manhattan resulted in state prison sentences, compared to only 12% in Queens (pp. 7, 42).
  • Demographic Disparity: Even after controlling for charge and history, Black and Hispanic individuals were significantly more likely than white individuals to be sentenced to prison (p. 43).

Access the article webpage HERE

Ger a .PDF copy of the article HERE

Traffic Tickets Issued in New York State

Traffic Tickets Issued: Four Year Window

Data extracted from records of tickets on file with NYS DMV. The tickets were issued to motorists for violations of: NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law (VTL), Thruway Rules and Regulations, Tax Law, Transportation Law, Parks and Recreation Regulations, Local New York City Traffic Ordinances, and NYS Penal Law pertaining to the involvement of a motor vehicle in acts of assault, homicide, manslaughter and criminal negligence resulting in injury or death.

Read more HERE

This is the direct link to the data HERE

Safe Roads for All – Evidence-Based Strategies for Keeping Our Roadways Safe

Each year, more than 40,000 people are killed and more than 2 million injured in preventable car crashes. Despite a growing body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of common-sense infrastructural and road design measures, traffic safety strategies in this country have largely focused instead on individual enforcement through high-volume police stops and ticketing. The report finds that this approach fails to prevent injuries and deaths from car crashes and in fact puts people at risk of harmful encounters with police. Ticketing practices that prioritize revenue generation over road safety also trap millions of people in inescapable cycles of fines, fees, and debt.  

See more here: https://www.aclu.org/documents/safe-roads-for-all

Get a .PDF of the report HERE

Applied Police Briefings Journal

Applied Police Briefings (APB) addresses the challenge police professionals face in accessing and understanding policing research. Our mission is to make this research accessible, free of charge, and easy to understand.

Key features of APB include:

User-Friendly Access: An easy to navigate platform for all users
Open Access: Free access to all APB materials
Clarity in Communication: Research briefs are free of technical and statistical jargon
Concise Content: Briefs are kept succinct for quick and easy reading
Reputable Sources: We use reputable, peer-reviewed research that addresses key policing questions
Diverse Perspectives: Incorporating a variety of research methodologies and viewpoints
APB is dedicated to empowering police professionals with research insights to enhance their work.
— Read on appliedpolicebriefings.com/index.php/APB

CPE Publishes Report on Improving BART Fare Enforcement Operations

This month, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) published a new report, BART Fare Enforcement: Balancing Goals, Community Concerns, and Human Costs, in partnership with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).  The team received additional support from Stout, a global advisory firm specializing in corporate finance, accounting and transaction advisory, valuation, financial disputes, claims, and investigations. The report is a comprehensive assessment of BART’s approach to enforcing its fares, and CPE hopes to see the recommendations contained in this report adopted for implementation. Read on HERE

Related Resources from the Center for Policing Equity:

NYC PBA Files Federal Suit Against CCRB Over Public Release of Inflammatory False Allegations – New York City Police Benevolent Association

NYPD oversight agency violated police officers’ rights by giving anti-police website false and baseless claims of sexual misconduct, racial profiling and perjury
Today, the New York City PBA filed a federal lawsuit against the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) after the agency facilitated the publication of hundreds of stigmatizing complaint records falsely alleging severe misconduct and criminal acts by police officers.

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the PBA challenges CCRB’s recent policy change to permit public disclosure of three categories of serious allegations – sexual misconduct, racial profiling and untruthful statement – without redaction, even though CCRB has determined that the allegations are false or lack evidence. The union argues that CCRB’s decision to release these records – which are now public and searchable on the anti-NYPD database 50-a.org along with the falsely accused police officers’ identifying information – is unconstitutional.
— Read on www.nycpba.org/press-release/nycpba-v-ccrb/

Report on CCRB Bias and Injustice – New York City Police Benevolent Association

Today, following the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s release of its annual statistical report, the New York City PBA released its own 2025 Annual Report on CCRB. Using data provided directly by the agency, the report highlights CCRB’s continued pattern of unfairness and injustice, which is eroding officer rights and threatening public safety.

NYC PBA President Patrick Hendry said: “Every year, CCRB cherry-picks and distorts its data to create a false narrative about policing in New York City. Our report sets the record straight. With just one complaint for every 1,639 calls for service, and with the vast majority of complaints found to be false or unsubstantiated, New York City police officers are performing their job at the highest levels of professionalism. Yet every one of those false and frivolous complaints remains on a police officer’s public record, negatively impacting both their careers and life outside of work. If our city leaders don’t take action to correct the injustice at CCRB, it will continue to erode public safety by driving talented police officers away from the NYPD.”
— Read on www.nycpba.org/press-release/ccrb-report-2025/