The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically accelerated the shrinking of New York City’s jail populations. For the past few years, New York City has seen a consistent fall in the rate of crime and incarceration. This has led to one of the smallest jail populations of any major city in the country. In the last three weeks, that number has fallen even further.

Since March 16, New York City’s jail population has fallen 20%. The number of people coming into jails has plummeted; 500 people entered between March 16 and April 6, compared to 2,100 over the same time last year. As of April 6, only 4,363 New Yorkers were in jail, the lowest number since 1949.

The Legal Aid Society is advocating for the release of vulnerable individuals during this crisis. Our Criminal Defense Practice has been working tirelessly to keep their clients safe and out of the dangerous conditions in jails across the city. Our nationally recognized mass writ litigation caused the City and State to release over 1,000 people.