NY 'Support act' aims to help mentally ill offenders
NEW YORK (PIX11) -- As mental health-driven crimes continue to dominate headlines in New York City, state lawmakers are teaming up with law enforcement to reduce repeat offenders.
Instead of leaving those arrested to deal with mental illnesses on the streets, officials propose helping them access the treatment they need.
Before Kamel Hawkins was accused of a horrific subway shove on New Year's Eve, he had been arrested for dousing someone with bleach. However, he was deemed unfit for trial.
“Because it was a misdemeanor, it ended right there,” said New York Assemblyman Tony Simone.
Officials believe Hawkins might not have re-offended if the legal system had offered him the help he needed.
“There’s clearly a gap in the system that needs to be met,” Simone added.
State lawmakers like Simone have teamed up with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to address this issue of those deemed unfit to stand trial.
“Individuals go back into our neighborhoods,” Bragg said. “It’s almost intuitive that something bad is going to happen.”
The "Support Act" aims to place mentally ill offenders accused of misdemeanor crimes—those too sick to stand trial—on a more promising path. Advocates believe this is just the beginning.
“Stable housing, peer support services—we’re hoping this is just part of a broader initiative,” said defense attorney Elena Landriscina of the Legal Aid Society.
Taylor Swift’s stalker, David Crowe, was also set free last year. Crowe was repeatedly arrested for loitering at the singer’s Tribeca townhouse dozens of times, despite a restraining order. A judge ruled him incompetent, and the charges were dropped.
In fact, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said 500 similar cases were dismissed in the past two years.
“This is a long-running crisis,” Landriscina added.
So much so the NYPD reports that this has contributed to a rise in repeat offenders, with felony assaults increasing 147% over the last six years.
“This would change that,” Simone said, “to have crisis intervention outreach to make sure you’re not a danger to yourself or others.”