The journey of the Vernon C. Bain began in 1987 in New Orleans at a time of high crime and few options for the city. Neighbors near its current Mott Haven docking hope it sails into the sunset soon.
Elected officials and criminal justice advocates are calling for the city and Mayor Bill de Blasio to shut down the five-story Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center in the Bronx.
A special election on April 24 will determine who fills New York’s 11 vacant legislative seats, including two in the Bronx: one in the 32nd State Senate District and the other in the Assembly District 80.
Rikers or a shelter? Neither is a good alternative. Not for community safety. Not for taxpayers. Not for anything. Surely there’s a better way.
Few argue that a murder conviction should not be followed by a term of incarceration, but, accepting for now the reality of prison, what does that mean in years?
Criminal-justice reform has largely avoided changes to how we treat ‘violent criminals.’ But research shows they’re less likely to re-offend than others. And victims aren’t always well served by sentences that aim for retribution.
‘One year ago, at his annual address, the mayor gave us, the residents of New York, a simple message: This is your city. We in the faith community received this message more as a declaration of hope than a statement of fact.’
‘I got taken by a person pretending to be a bail bondsman. ‘
The de Blasio administration sometimes argues that its enforcement of low-level crimes like marijuana possession is driven by calls to 311. But there’s little indication that arrest numbers and call volume are related.
Bill de Blasio’s state of the city address didn’t drop any novel ideas on NYCHA, homelessness, education, jobs or other big-ticket items. The mayor instead focused new energy on making the city’s democracy stronger.
