Dozens of inmates released from Rikers Island jail complex in New York because of coronavirus concerns have reoffended.
Roughly 110 inmates have been involved in 190 arrests in New York after being released as part of an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, according to the New York Post.
A quarter of those arrests were for burglaries, contributing to a 43% increase in break-in crimes over the last month, per NYPD data.
Police sources say the number of inmates who have reoffended is likely higher since the data only accounts for the 1,500 inmates released in March, and hundreds have been released since.
“I strongly believe they all should be released,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in March about releasing inmates deemed vulnerable to the virus. “Seventy-five have been released already. We want to identify anyone in those categories and get them released immediately.”
States all across the country adopted the strategy of releasing inmates amid coronavirus concerns.
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Law enforcement officials in California released several “high-risk” sex offenders, and at least one of them was rearrested for a sex crime.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released hundreds of inmates, justifying the move as an effort to protect the vulnerable jail population.
“Our population within the jail is a vulnerable population just by virtue of who they are and where they’re located,” Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a press conference. “So, we’re protecting that population from potential exposure.”
This week, a person accused of rape in Pennsylvania who was released from jail over coronavirus fears was killed in a house fire during a standoff with police.
Police organizations nationwide have spoken out against the practice of releasing criminals onto the streets to stop the spread of the virus.
“The idea of releasing individuals, who by definition are not safe to be among the public, in the name of improving public welfare is nonsensical,” said William Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, in response to jails that started releasing prisoners in March.
