On Monday, a Bronx judge granted the motion by District Attorney Darcel Clark to dismiss more than 800 loitering for prostitution cases, including ones date back to the 70s and 80s.
Any open cases with the sole charge of penal law 240.37 have been dismissed. The dismissal also applies to cases in which a defendant pleaded guilty, but failed to comply with a fine or other condition that was ordered by the court.
The motions include 278 pending cases and 544 disposed cases in which a warrant was ordered—for a total of 822 cases. Out of the 278 pending cases, 251 had open warrants.
“For some time, my fofice has declined to prosecute the charge loitering for the intent of prostitution, which disproportionately targets women, LGBTQ people and at-risk youth,” Clark said. “There hadn’t been an arrest for this offense in the Bronx since 2018.I supported the repeal of the penal law 240.37, and it was officially repealed by the state legislature last month.
“The dismissal of warrants and cases related to this charge is the right thing to do. Warrants create obstacles when people apply for housing, jobs or other resources. With today’s action, hundreds will be able to move forward without collateral consequence. This is part of my overall effort to focus resources on prosecuting sex traffickers and provide assistance for those victimized by the sex trade.”
