Those Convicted of Sexual Assault on MTA Property Could Be Banned From Riding

Judges will soon be able to ban people convicted of sexual crimes on MTA property from using public transportation for up to three years. Same goes for those who assault transit workers.

This is something that members of the MTA board, and Governor Andrew Cuomo, have discussed for awhile now. It’s not clear how the rule will be enforced, and judges would be allowed to make exceptions on individual cases.

Michael Sisitzky with the New York Civil Liberties Union worries it may do more harm than good.

“It runs contrary to what should be the goals of our criminal-legal system, which should be focused on rehabilitation and not putting additional barriers to reintegrating people into society,” he said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio supports the move.

Overall major crime was down in the mass transit system while assaults against MTA workers and sex crimes were higher last year compared to the previous year.