Manhattan District Attorney Decides to Let Fare Evasion Slide

Most of the few people that are jumping fares on the New York subway are doing so out of necessity. One branch of the city government has decided that busting fare evaders isn't worth the trouble.

1 minute read

September 5, 2017, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

elbud / Shutterstock

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced recently that his office would no longer prosecute the misdemeanor of fare evasion, reports Ryan Kailath.

Fare evasion was once at 11 percent in the 1990s, but "[t]oday, fare evasion is down to roughly 1.3 percent of riders." According to Kailath, "fare evasion is the most common criminal charge in Manhattan, with nearly 10,000 arrests a year."

Many fare evaders are repeat offenders, and the costs of prosecuting those crimes are more than the benefits, according to the article. "The outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are looking into decriminalizing fare evasion as well," adds Kailath.

FULL STORY: New York won't arrest you for stealing a subway ride anymore

Thursday, August 31, 2017 in Marketplace

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