The Wednesday announcement from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office covers thousands of cases dating back to the 1970s, as well as about 900 open cases related to prostitution or unlicensed massage.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance announces an initiative in 2018 to New Yorkers who leave jail or prison reenter society. (NYC image via Courthouse News)
MANHATTAN (CN) In a major step toward the decriminalization of sex work, the Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance told a judge Wednesday that his office will stop prosecuting arrests for prostitution and unlicensed massage.
“For years, rather than seeking criminal convictions, my office has reformed its practice to offer services to individuals arrested for prostitution,” Vance said at a virtual court hearing this morning before Judge Charlotte Davidson. “Now, we will decline to prosecute these arrests outright, providing services and supports solely on a voluntary basis.”
Manhattan will no longer prosecute prostitution thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Brooklyn DA Will Purge 90 Convictions Involving An Indicted Detective, With 100 More Expected In Manhattan
arrow Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance in February 2020 JASON SZENES/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Last week, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced he was moving to dismiss 90 convictions involving Joseph Franco, an NYPD detective who was indicted in 2019 for lying under oath about three separate drug sales which he claimed to have witnessed. Now Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has agreed to vacate and dismiss approximately 100 more convictions in which Franco played a key role, Gothamist/WNYC has learned.
The move comes nearly two years after Manhattan prosecutors first brought criminal charges against the former NYPD detective, after discovering video footage allegedly showing that three drug sales in Manhattan, which he swore to under oath, did not take place as he described them.
More than 50 drug convictions vacated over former NYPD cop accused of perjury wphm.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wphm.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.