New York City is defined today, as it was decades ago, by the condition of Times Square.
With its modern electronic billboards, it has become the epicenter of Manhattan, bustling with commerce of all kinds.
Most New Yorkers will extend much of the credit for its rebirth to former mayor Rudy Giuliani.
In Times Square and throughout the five boroughs, the former prosecutor's tough-on-crime approach was hailed as model for urban centers across America.
Gone were the junkies, dealers, pimps and cutpurses.
Where did they go? The Judicial Branch Opens the Gates The ones who didn't get caught went elsewhere.
The ones who did get caught went to jail.
An already-strained jail system, principally Rikers Island, was flooded with new inmates.
The lawmakers did what they felt they had to do by locking up so many people, and the result was that judges did the exact opposite.
To lighten the strain on the jails, the courts increasingly dismissed cases, and gave out lenient sentences besides.
All Sides under Pressure Public defenders, already overworked and underpaid, found themselves tempted to make more plea deals than ever, but with New York's historically low rate of convictions in cases that went to trial, they were faced with a hard sell.
How this all helped keep the population safe from crime remains a sociological mystery, but at least it got Mayor Giuliani re-elected as he attempted to ascend the pyramid of public service.
New York's army of criminal defense attorneys are there for those clients who can afford their exorbitant fees.
Most people arrested for petty crimes, though, don't have the resources to hire the most proficient legal minds.
For better or worse, they usually find themselves serving a short sentence in one of the harshest jails in America - Rikers Island.