Criminal justice coverage in the Big Apple follows the city's justice system — courts, sentencing, jails, bail, prosecution and the reform efforts that move through city and state institutions. Reporting is grounded in New York County (Manhattan) and reaches Greenwich Village, Harlem, Williamsburg, Chelsea and Brooklyn Heights.
Police stopped Supreme Court Judge Erik Gray in The Bronx early Friday and charged him after he refused a breath test.
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November 6, 2026
Groups Urge City to Fund Rikers AlternativesMore than 70 criminal justice organizations are asking Mayor Zohran Mamdani to shift $35 million toward crime prevention, diversion and reentry.
October 31, 2026
Manhattan Funds Street Outreach to Prevent ArrestsThe district attorney awarded $1.25 million in 2026 to help unhoused individuals connect with housing and medical services.
October 30, 2026
Queens Court Launches Monthly Mental Competency ReviewsThe initiative requires reevaluations for defendants awaiting state psychiatric care while detained on Rikers Island.
October 30, 2026
Judge Pauses Chinatown Jail Construction ProjectA New York state judge halted construction on a proposed Chinatown jail following a lawsuit over noise concerns.
October 29, 2026
Christopher Watler Named New York City Jail Board ChairThe veteran criminal justice reformer takes leadership of the board as the city continues its plan to close Rikers Island.
October 29, 2026
Appellate Court Overturns Wilson Chimborazo ConvictionThe court ordered a new trial for Wilson Chimborazo after citing judicial bias during his 2017 trial in Queens.
October 26, 2026
Equal Justice Initiative Co-Produces Musical WantedThe nonprofit partners with the new stage production to present historical themes of justice in 1890s Texas.
October 23, 2026
Rikers Island Inmates Preview New Justice DocuseriesThe four-part film examines the history of the United States criminal justice system from the colonial era.
October 19, 2026
United Justice Coalition Hosts Fourth Annual SummitThe criminal justice reform event in New York City drew 1,500 attendees to discuss policy and advocacy.
October 13, 2026
Judge Censured for Courthouse Gun ExperimentThe New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct sanctioned Judge Jeffrey Gershuny for using a firearm during a hearing.
The reporting tracks court proceedings and sentencing outcomes, jail conditions and populations, prosecutorial charging decisions, wrongful conviction reviews and the reform efforts that move through the city council and state legislature. New York City's criminal justice system operates at a scale — volume of arrests, court filings and jail population — that makes individual decisions by prosecutors, judges and administrators carry implications for thousands of cases simultaneously. Bail reform implementation and its effects on pretrial detention have generated sustained coverage arcs that continue well past the original legislative changes. Oversight of the city's jail system and the conditions within it contribute ongoing accountability coverage that spans multiple administrations.
