It’s hard time for petty crime.
In a ramped-up effort to thwart subway criminals and keep repeat offenders off the streets, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance has pushed for higher bail and harsher penalties for small-time offenses like cellphone snatching and pickpocketing, his office told The Post.
In a policy sea change, prosecutors in the new Crime Strategies Unit have been demanding hard time for crooks based on their history as serial offenders, and judges have been granting those requests since May.
Before, prosecutors would ask for bail based upon the crime a person was accused of at the time, resulting in slap-on-the-wrist punishments that let crooks strike again, officials said.
Stopping subway thieves has been a massive focus of the program.
In August, ex-con Michael Richardson was issued $15,000 bail — much higher than usual — after he pickpocketed a woman on an express train at 86th Street and used her credit cards to buy MetroCards, sources said.
Richardson was hit with high bail because of his history: He has larceny, assault, and weapons convictions stretching back decades, including dozens of menacing convictions.
Also, Christopher Harris, 43, was sentenced to up to three years in jail this week after he swiped a cellphone from a man sleeping aboard a northbound 6 train at Chambers Street.
Harris has three grand-larceny convictions, one robbery conviction and 24 misdemeanor convictions, sources said.
“Crimes committed within the New York City transit system threaten the safety of all passengers of public transportation,” Vance told The Post.
He said his department “analyzes crime trends across Manhattan, including in our transit system. Our office takes all crimes seriously, because we know that low-level offenses often lead to more serious crimes.”
Tougher justice
* $15,000: Bail for an ex-con with a long rap sheet; he pickpocked a woman and took her credit cards
* 1.5 to 3 years: Sentence for a man with three prior grand-larceny convictions for swiping a cellphone from a sleeping man on the 6 train
* $10,000: Bail for a parolee who took a cellphone from a sleeping woman aboard the 6 train
* 90 days: Jail time for a woman who snatched a cellphone from a man sleeping on a bench inside Penn Station
