US EditionMamdani Names New Department of Correction Commissioner
Stanley Richards, a former Rikers inmate and Fortune Society leader, will lead NYC jails to improve safety and reform amid court oversight and a jail population of over 6,800.
- On Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Stanley Richards as commissioner of the Department of Correction, starting February 16.
- In recent years, the jails have been plagued by staff misconduct, violence and drug overdoses, with at least 76 deaths from 2019 to 2025, while more than 6,800 people were held as of Saturday and efforts to close Rikers Island have stalled.
- Richards comes to the post with a long Fortune Society career, rising from reentry counselor to president and CEO after serving four and a half years in prison and working as first deputy commissioner in 2021.
- During a Saturday press conference, Richards and the mayor said it is unclear how oversight will be divided between the remediation manager and the commissioner as union leaders warn jails cannot operate safely if officers' concerns are ignored.
- Because a Manhattan facility won't open until at least 2032, the borough-based jail plan faces delays and cost overruns, and a Rikers closure deadline of 2027 remains unlikely.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Mamdani's Corrections Chief Did Time in the Jail He Will Now Oversee
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped an ex-con to run the city’s embattled corrections system, with his appointee set to oversee the same jail where he served time for robbery in the 1980s. The post Mamdani’s New NYC Corrections Commissioner Did Time in the Same Jail He Will Now Oversee appeared first on Breitbart.
Formerly incarcerated person to lead NYC Dept of Correction
After nearly a month on the job, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani named five new appointees Saturday. They include a new commissioner for the Department of Correction who is making history. Stanley Richards is the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the agency. Richards served time in prison for robbery in the late 1980s. But he became first deputy commissioner...
From Detainee to Commissioner: Stanley Richards to Lead City Jails
Stanley Richards, who did multiple stints on Rikers Island as a youth before going on to lead the city’s largest nonprofit assisting people who have been locked up, was announced Saturday as the city’s Correction Department commissioner by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Richards takes over the department at a pivotal moment. Last week, a federal judge appointed a court-ordered remediation manager with sweeping powers to reform conditions at Rikers, whic…
The Daily Caller
Conservative ReviewZohran Mamdani Hires Ex-Con To Lead Department Of Corrections
Stanley Richards will become the first convicted person to serve as commissioner of the Department of Correction, after NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's appointment.
Hastings Tribune
Mamdani names Stanley Richards, formerly incarcerated criminal justice reformer, to run NYC jails
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced his appointment of five new city agency commissioners Saturday afternoon — including the first-ever formerly incarcerated person to serve as head of the Department of Correction.
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