The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced Friday that it will not prosecute most “turnstile jumping” cases and minor drug offenses, effectively eliminating 20,000 criminal cases a year.

“The criminal prosecution of these low-level, non-violent offenses should not be a part of a reformed 21st-century justice system,” District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a news release. “Absent a demonstrated public safety risk, criminally prosecuting New Yorkers accused of these offenses does not make us safer.”

Offenders would be given citations and access to early intervention programs “without ever setting foot in a courtroom,” Vance said. The goal is for prosecutors to focus resources on more serious crimes while strengthening bonds between law enforcement officers and residents.