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Criminal Justice Day 5 - Criminal Justice in Westchester

New York has an incarceration rate of 376 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democracy on earth. Overall, in 2020 the jail incarceration rate in Westchester County was 92 per 100,000 people, compared with a statewide average of 101 per 100,000 people. Among New York City and the 57 counties outside the city, Westchester County had the 44th highest incarceration rate.

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“A Look at Westchester County’s Prison System – and the People Inside It” By Kate Stone Lombardi on September 16, 2021 for Westchester Magazine

Hear from an inmate what life was like in a Westchester prison during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After years of excessive force reports, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Westchester County to correct constitutional violations. In 2020, Westchester County met the terms of the agreement.

Read about how Westchester County’s Fresh Start program, allow individuals charged with certain, low-level offenses for the first time to avoid a possible criminal conviction.