Drinking in public just got a lot less risky

Don’t go popping bottles in the street to celebrate the passing of the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2016, but if you wanted to it would no longer be a misdemeanor. The eight pieces of legislation passed by the City Council last night made offenses like drinking in public, public urination and unreasonable noise punishable by summonses, but still illegal. The decision to issue a civil or criminal summons will remain up to the NYPD.

The move looks to be an indication that the city is moving away from the “broken windows” theory of policing, the idea that stopping smaller crimes will in turn prevent larger crimes. Whether it impacts that has yet to be seen, but the downgrading of these offensive will help to free up the courts, reduce the number of people with criminal records for minor violations and reduce the number of arrest warrants issued. 

[h/t DNAinfo]

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