Mamdani Appoints Formerly Incarcerated Stanley Richards As Corrections Chief
Mamdani named Stanley Richards to lead the Department of Correction; Richards will start Feb. 16 with a $243,171 annual salary.
Overview
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Stanley Richards as commissioner of the Department of Correction, naming the first formerly incarcerated person to hold the post and saying Richards will start on Feb. 16 with a $243,171 annual salary, Mamdani's office said.
The appointment comes after U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain appointed Nicholas Deml as a court remediation manager for Rikers Island on Jan. 27, placing the jail complex under independent federal oversight, court documents show.
Correction Officers' Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio posted on X that the jails 'cannot and will not operate as safely as possible if the concerns of our members are brushed aside,' the union said.
The Department of Correction employs more than 7,200 people, including nearly 5,000 uniformed officers, and Richards will inherit a system long scrutinized for violence, staffing shortages and delayed reforms, city records and reporting show.
Mamdani said his administration will work with remediation manager Nicholas Deml and Richards to improve jail conditions, but Gothamist reported that one new Manhattan facility is not expected to open until at least 2032, raising questions about timelines and safety.
Analysis
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FAQ
Stanley Richards was incarcerated on Rikers Island for two and a half years in the 1980s for robbery, later joined The Fortune Society in 1991 rising to president and CEO, served as First Deputy Commissioner of Programs and Operations at NYC DOC in 2021, and was the first formerly incarcerated person on the NYC Board of Correction.
He is the first formerly incarcerated person to serve as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Correction, following his prior milestone as the first in that role as First Deputy Commissioner.
He inherits a DOC with over 7,200 employees facing violence, staffing shortages, delayed reforms, federal oversight via a remediation manager at Rikers, stalled Rikers closure, and a new Manhattan facility not opening until at least 2032.
President Benny Boscio stated on X that jails cannot operate safely if officers' concerns are ignored.
Stanley Richards starts on February 16 with an annual salary of $243,171.
