The far left has long shown a willingness to turn a blind eye toward crime and then advocate for the release of criminals who actually managed to get arrested.
And in New York City, the language surrounding the justice system continues to be massaged in order to avoid offending those who are caught running afoul of the law.
As the New York Post reported:
New York City’s jails watchdog is set to go woke — scrapping the words “inmate” and “inmates” from its rule book and replacing them with “people in custody” or “person in custody.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe proposed rule change for the Board of Correction swaps the words “inmate” or “inmates” with “people in custody” or “person in custody” more than 300 times.
Criminal justice advocates claim that “inmates” a derogatory term for incarcerated criminal defendants or convicts.
“In 2021, the Board made a commitment to employ person-first language in its Minimum Standards and communications by deleting references to inmates’ in favor of personfirst terms such as people in custody and using gender inclusive language in Chapter 1 of the Minimum Standards,” the proposed rule says.
“The Board proposes continuing this vital effort in Chapters 2 and 3.”
It’s just the latest in a series of recommended word changes by leftist organizations, and it once again drew some social media criticism:
More insanity. This HAS TO STOP and ppl need to put the WORD POLICE out of business. NYC has real problems and real crime victims that the left doesn’t find offensive enough to fix, but calling it out for what it truly is unlawful??? GTFO make NYC, NYC AGAIN…
— Lisa’s Ghost (@lisalittle2U) July 19, 2026
ROFL inmate was supposed to be the PC word for prisoner, even though inmate means they are there willingly. This is why you can’t give these fuckers an inch. https://t.co/elXBvb0JKu
— El Nube Negro is back. (@pross79) July 19, 2026
To be fair, the idea seems to have been borrowed from a proposal in neighboring New Jersey a few years ago, as NJ 101.5 reported at the time:
The New Jersey Law Revision Commission has begun accepting public comment until May 16 on recommendations to replace the word “inmate” with such “person-first” terms as “person” or “person who’s incarcerated.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe issue was discussed at the commission’s recent regular meeting on Thursday after the launch of the project was pitched during the February meeting.
Here’s a related story from a few weeks ago:
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!