Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called for “shrinking” the size of the criminal justice system to reallocate resources on Friday amid the recent crime spike in New York City.
Gonzalez defended liberal criminal justice policies, including his 2018 “Action Plan for Brooklyn,” stating that they were not behind the recent uptick in crime while touting bail reform policies that critics argue have motivated an increase in crime.
“It was about using prosecutorial decision-making and discretion to keep Brooklyn safe but also to promote public trust in our justice system,” Gonzalez said of his approach in an interview Tuesday on The Brian Lehrer Show. “Part of that work was shrinking the size of the criminal justice system to put our resources into the cases that would keep us safe and focus on drivers of crime.”
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He also hinted that a cash bail system could soon be eliminated, another proposal that many on the Right say rewards criminal activity.
“We could get into a system where cash is taken completely out of the equation and courts would either decide someone will be released or someone will be reprimanded,” Gonzalez said. “That is also a possibility to end cash bail.”
In 2020, a new New York law went into effect that curtailed the use of cash bail in low-level crimes as part of a move to reduce the number of people held in jails.
Despite the critiques that these approaches have exacerbated the city’s recent crime wave, the Brooklyn district attorney dismissed the notion that being a liberal means not prioritizing public safety, citing a recent push to fight for justice in cases of gender-based violence, sexual assault, and shootings in communities of color.
“I think that the policies I put in place that focused on drivers of crime and focused on people most likely to pull triggers really reduced gun violence,” he said. “I disagree that progressive politics are the cause for this increase.”
Gonzalez went on to defend other liberal prosecutors, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who recently drew criticism for his soft-on-crime policies.
“In terms of Bragg, I believe it was a communication problem in conveying what he had intended to do. And it was a politics problem,” he said. “I know that he cares about public safety.”
On Friday, Bragg released a memo walking back his Jan. 3 memo guidance calling for softer penalties for several crimes. The January memo was blasted by those in law enforcement, with New York City Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell saying she was “very concerned” about how the policies could affect officers’ behavior.
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Crime in New York City has risen dramatically in recent months. In January, overall crime increased by 38% in the city compared to January 2021. Every major crime saw an uptick during the month except for murder, according to data from the NYPD. Among the victims were two New York City police officers who died from injuries sustained in the line of duty last month.
Gonzalez was appointed acting district attorney upon the death of his predecessor in 2016. He then won a six-way Democratic primary for a full term in September 2017 and ran unopposed in the general election that November. He became the first Latino district attorney in the state of New York.
