A new law takes mercy on hobbled prison inmates who, for physical reasons, are no longer a danger to society; it also saves the state the high cost of caring for them. An extended version of the law (which now includes sex offenders and violent felons) went into effect last year, but on February 9th, Don Juan Britt became the first jailbird paroled under its jurisdictions. Britt—who violently stabbed a man in Crown Heights—has served 15 years of a 20 year sentence despite being paralyzed by a brain aneurysm. Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, was outraged that the convict will walk free. "This is a softening of penalties in the law that completely ignores the pain and suffering of the crime victims," he said.
Of course the money the state is saving by releasing the inmate is negated by a $325,000 settlement they'll pay him over a prison beating incident. According to the Post, Britt—who gets around in a wheelchair or with a walker—sued Sing Sing officials, saying they didn't protect him against fellow prisoners who slashed his head, neck and back. Besides Britt, five other inmates are now eligible for parole.
In other cost-cutting measures for the state's prison system, Mayor Bloomberg recently signaled that fewer juveniles would be put behind bars.
