NYC Mayor Appoints Former Inmate to Lead City Jail System

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped Stanley Richards, a former inmate, to lead New York City’s Department of Correction, making him the first ex-con to serve as commissioner, city officials announced Saturday.

Richards, who served time in the late 1980s for robbery, previously led the nonprofit Fortune Society, which provides housing and services for formerly incarcerated people. He also formerly served as the DOC’s deputy commissioner of programs and operations.

Mayor Mamdani Appoints Five Key Positions
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— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 31, 2026

Mamdani said the $243,171-a-year appointment is “not merely symbolic” and represents a commitment to a corrections system focused on safety and rehabilitation. “We will build a city where justice is at the heart of our corrections system, where every Department of Correction employee and incarcerated New Yorker is safe,” he said.

Richards, 64, called the appointment a chance to “turn the page” and lead a “new era” for the city’s jail system, emphasizing hope, healing, and transformation.

The move comes less than a week after a federal judge appointed Nicholas Deml, former head of Vermont’s prison system, as an independent “remediation manager” to oversee Rikers Island.

Benny Boscia, president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, said officers are willing to work with Richards if he respects correction staff rights and prioritizes safety.

Mamdani also announced four other top appointments Saturday: Dr. Alister Martin as health commissioner; Sandra Escamilla-Davies to lead the Department of Youth and Community; Yesenia Mata as commissioner of Veterans’ Services; and Vilda Vera Mayuga to head the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.