NYC Mayor Names First Formerly Incarcerated Person to Lead DOC
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Stanley Richards as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction — the first formerly incarcerated individual to lead the Department.
According to a release from the mayor’s office, Commissioner Richards has decades of experience in the criminal justice field. He joined the Fortune Society as a Re-Entry Counselor in 1991 and rose through the non-profit’s ranks, eventually serving as Executive Vice President, where he led reentry efforts and promoted alternatives to incarceration.
Commissioner Richards also served as First Deputy Commissioner for DOC since 2021. He was the first formerly incarcerated individual to hold a high-level position at the Department and to be appointed to the New York City Board of Correction, where he led the Working Group to End Punitive Segregation.
In his new role, Commissioner Richards will work closely with the city’s newly appointed remediation manager, Nicholas Deml, to focus on improving safety, closing the Rikers Island facility and ensuring DOC delivers on its core responsibility to care for people in custody and support the staff who serve them.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to Mayor Mamdani for this appointment. This role represents the culmination of my lifelong commitment to criminal justice reform, drawing directly from my own experience of incarceration on Rikers, which fueled my decades of work at The Fortune Society and with the Department of Correction, helping thousands rebuild their lives through reentry programs, leadership roles, and advocacy,” said DOC Commissioner Richards.
“This appointment is an opportunity to lead from the top, advocating for both incarcerated individuals and correction officers to create safer jails and real pathways to rehabilitation. This is a chance to drive upstream change, connecting people to services like those at Fortune Society that transformed my own life. I will work tirelessly with this administration to ensure that we prioritize humane and safe conditions and ensure justice for all New Yorkers.”
Commissioner Richards received his Associate of Arts degree from Medaille University and his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health degrees from Hunter College. In 2014, he was recognized by the Obama Administration as a Champion for Change for his commitment to supporting individuals impacted by the justice system.