NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Offering Mets Tickets to Inmates on Bail Who Appear for Their Court Dates
By Scott Rogust
The attendance at Cit Field in Flushing, Queens fluctuates depending on the success of the New York Mets. But the City of New York just found a strange way to boost those numbers.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing for certain incentives for prison inmates under a new cashless bail program. If certain individuals out on bail successfully make their court appearances, the city would reward them with gift cards, movie passes, or...Mets tickets?
SMART POLICY? Bill de Blasio is defending giving prison inmates released under the city's new cashless bail program free Mets tickets and other gifts for showing up in court. The incoming and outgoing NYPD commissioners aren't sold. More here: https://t.co/LBQEd3jZ0U
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) November 7, 2019
“In a world where we want speedier trials and we want the justice system to work, if small incentives are part of what actually makes it work, then that’s a smart policy,” de Blasio said on Wednesday, via CBS New York.
That idea is, in baseball terms, out of left field.
De Blasio's bail reform policy is effective on Jan. 1, and will do away with cash bail and pre-trial detention for those facing various lower-level criminal charges.
NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio To Offer Mets Tickets And Gift Cards To Entice Accused Criminals To Show Up For Court Dates - https://t.co/WAbOUboTcj pic.twitter.com/N8ALKZmSdx
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 7, 2019
As expected, the move is being criticized by many, including NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill, who believe de Blasio's policy is rewarding those individuals for committing crimes.
The mayor's office did not reveal how much value the New York Mets tickets would carry. Either way, the policy is set to be implemented.
Play ball.