Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has used his first memo since taking office to direct prosecutors to quit sending criminals to prison in many cases and downgrade charges for crimes such as armed robbery and drug dealing.

Prosecutors in New York City’s most densely populated borough must no longer seek a “carceral sentence” except in a handful of cases, such as homicide, rape and major economic crimes, Bragg said on Monday in the memo. He added that assistant district attorneys also must weigh the impact of their sentencing recommendations on public safety, barriers to housing, and racial disparities in incarceration.