Mayor de Blasio’s $12 million supervised-release program to entice accused criminals back to court — something they are required by law to do — gifts them with everything from movie tickets to cellphones.
The Post had previously reported Hizzoner was planning to ply defendants with goodies once bail-reform kicks in Jan. 1 including Mets tickets if they hold up their end of the bargain and make their court dates — but the range of bait is much more expansive.
The selection includes basics to help down-on-their luck defendants, like toiletries, socks and coffee, as well as tools intended to make sure they have no excuse to skip court, like cellphones, minutes and single-ride MetroCards.
But they also include little luxuries, including gift cards for $10 to $25 for a dizzying array of eateries and retail spots including Applebee’s, Burger King, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway and Target.
Also up for grabs are movie tickets, as well as ducats to special activities for teen defendants, including a Mets game and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum — jaunts that even include a meal.
City Hall insists that the goodies aren’t intended to reward alleged bad behavior, as some law-enforcement sources have charged, but rather to serve as a cost-effective carrot to ensure cops and marshals don’t have to come looking for defendants.
“Incentives have always been part of supervised release, which has seen more than 15,000 people enter the program since its start in 2016,” said mayoral spokeswoman Avery Cohen.
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“It will continue to use what are nationally recognized as highly effective ways to make sure folks return to court and not have the wasteful, time-consuming, costly warranting process that would otherwise be initiated should someone not return to court.”
That defense doubles down on de Blasio’s previous backing of the eight-figure program on Wednesday — even as he admitted that he was in the dark about how much the initiative costs or where the money comes from.
The full accounting of what accused criminals can walk away with comes days after The Post exclusively reported that nearly 900 jailbirds could be quietly released late this year in advance of the bail-reform overhaul.
Crimes for which bail will no longer be collected under the law included criminally negligent homicide and peddling drugs on or near school grounds.
Additional reporting by Aaron Feis
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