Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes used a standing room only Chanukah celebration he hosted at his office to formally thank members of Brooklyn’s Jewish community for their support over the years as he fought to prevent and reduce crime.
“For the 19 years that I have had the privilege of being your District Attorney, we have built a solid foundation to deliver, insofar as it is humanely possible, true justice to all the people of Kings County,” said Hynes.
He also said the menorah, rekindled each year at the Office of the District Attorney in celebration of Chanukah, brings a message of the triumph of freedom over oppression and the triumph of light over darkness.
The district attorney noted that the programs and services offer at his office are built on a foundation of prevention and intervention. “We understood from the beginning that incarcerating sick drug addicts was both fiscally unsound and morally unsupportable,” he said.
“We also knew that residential drug treatment beds were cheaper and more effective in reducing recidivism than a costly jail building policy, which only contributed to the revolving door of a justice system that provided very little justice,” said Hynes.
“Our office’s commitment to children through prevention education and intervention with those who fall afoul of the criminal justice system because of substance abuse, and the re-entry, a successful rehabilitation design, have worked toward recidivism reduction and an increase in public safety,” he explained.
“Metaphorically, it is a timely and reassuring message that the forces of darkness can never conquer any one of us whether here in the United States of America or in Israel,” said Hynes.
Hynes later invited the guests to visit the 15th floor Family Justice Center at his office. “For all of the things I have been blessed to accomplish, no program makes me more proud than the one that is dedicated to eliminating violence in the home,” he said.
The center, dedicated to Hynes’ mother, Regina Katherine Drew, offers a full range of preventive and protective services for victims of domestic violence and their children.
