The New York City Council is poised to take what could be a step toward a fairer and smarter criminal justice system. A package of bills to be introduced on Monday seeks to resolve an old impasse over how to deter minor lawbreaking without punishing too many people unjustly. The bills focus on so-called quality of life offenses – things like littering, urinating and drinking alcohol in public, being too noisy and violating park rules.
