On June 2, 2014, legislation sponsored by New York State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz (Bronx County), passed the New York State Senate by a vote of 56-3.
The bill, S.6364, would prohibit crime that is committed in correctional facilities from being included in the crime statistics for the local police precincts and local police departments. It would also prohibit insurers from increasing their car and property insurance rates as a result of crimes committed in prisons.
According to Senator Díaz, “The homeowners of the Bronx, especially those residing in the area of the 41st Precinct, have been subjected to an incredible injustice, where crimes committed in Rikers Island, which is located in Queens County, are being applied to Bronx County, therefore increasing the crime statistics in the Bronx and decreasing the crime statistics in Queens. As a result, crimes committed in Rikers Island have resulted in inflated insurance rates for South Bronx homeowners.”
With the passage of this legislation by the New York State Senate, now it is up to the New York State Assembly to pass the same bill, which is sponsored by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo (A.8630), so it can be sent to the Governor for his signature.
“I now call on the New York State Assembly to pass this bill immediately before the end of the Legislative Session which ends on June 19th. The people of the Bronx deserve to have Governor Cuomo sign this bill into law,” concluded Senator Díaz.
