Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Calls For Criminal Justice Reform
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is using her first State of the City address to call for criminal justice reform.
Mark-Viverito, a Democrat, asks that more summonses and desk appearance tickets be issued instead of locking offenders in jail.
She said that in particular too many young black and Latino men are sent to Rikers Island for minor offenses.
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Calls For Criminal Justice Reform
"We need to take a comprehensive approach to criminal justic reform that ensures a fair system, improves police-community relations and addresses the fact that far too many of our young people -- mostly low-income black and Latino males -- are locked up at Rikers," Mark-Viverito said.
Mark-Viverito asked that the New York Police Department and Mayor Bill de Blasio support her effort.
She repeated her call to hire 1,000 more officers -- a plan de Blasio has yet to embrace.
She also called for increased city funding for the Human Rights Commission and for New Yorkers who can't afford legal representation.
Mark-Viverito delivered the speech Wednesday afternoon in an East Harlem housing project.
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