WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – A county prosecutor in New York is sending a message to anti-Israel protesters who were arrested during a campus demonstration at the State University of New York at Purchase to either enroll in a crime prevention course or face jail time.
Nearly all of the 68 protesters charged with minor crimes at SUNY on May 2 will have the option to take a three-hour “Fresh Start” course as part of plea deals to keep them out of the county lockup, according to Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah, the New York Post reported.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson from Rocah’s office said, “After evaluating the facts and circumstances, the WCDAO is offering our pre-arraignment diversionary program to eligible individuals, as we routinely do when first-time defendants face trespass violations.”
The “Fresh Start” program was created by the county’s chief prosecutor in 2021 as a diversion alternative for first-time offenders.
However, it remains to be seen how many of the agitators will choose the option of sitting through a course in crime prevention versus punitive measures.
