NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appoints first ex-con as corrections commissioner
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed a former inmate prison reformer as commissioner of the Department of Corrections on Saturday, as his administration pushes for a corrections overhaul focused on rehabilitation.
Stanley Richards, who was imprisoned for theft in the 1980s, will become an ex-convict Serving as commissioner of corrections.
“Stanley will make history in this role as the first formerly incarcerated person to serve as a commissioner,” Mamdani said. “I will turn to Stanley as we work to build a city where justice is at the heart of our sentencing system,” the mayor added.
Richards was convicted of robbery in the late 1980s and served roughly two and a half years on Rikers Island, followed by an additional four and a half years in state prison. I’m reporting from Gothamist and NY1. He was released in 1991.
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Stanley Richards speaks at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s press conference in Brooklyn on Saturday (January 31). (New York City Mayor’s Office)
In his first statements as commissioner, Richards aligned himself with Mamdani’s vision and rejected what he described as a punishment-centered approach to incarceration.
“Today we turn the page and begin a new era under Mayor Mamdani,” Richards said.
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New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives at the subway station in the Queens borough to go to New York City Hall on Friday, January 2, 2026. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo)
Richards also noted his experience in the correctional system, including serving as first deputy commissioner of programs and operations at the Department of Corrections and vice chairman of the Department of Corrections’ Task Force on Closing Rikers.
A security fence surrounds the housing of inmates at New York’s Rikers Island correctional facility. (AP/Bebeto Matthews)
The appointment comes at a time when New York City’s prison system remains under intense federal scrutiny. Earlier this week, a federal judge appointed an outside recovery manager to oversee reforms at Rikers Island following years of violence, staffing shortages and federal court findings that the city government had failed to improve conditions at the jails. Rikers was originally set up as follows: Demolished in August 2027 by former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Asked if he had spoken to the recovery manager, Mamdani said his management had already been in contact and underlined their cooperation.
“My administration has done that, and we look forward to working with the director of improvement to improve conditions in our city’s prisons for both detainees and corrections officers,” Mamdani said.
The appointment prompted a warning from the union representing correctional officers, which warned that safety should come before political ideology.
Benny Boscio, president of the Correctional Institution Benevolent Association, said in a statement that “prisons cannot and will not operate as safely as possible if our members’ concerns are put aside,” adding that Richards must demonstrate his commitment to “putting safety and security ahead of any political ideology.”
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It remains an open question whether Richards’ reform-minded background will translate into improving security and order in New York City’s prisons as he prepares to take over the troubled system.
Mamdani’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that Richards’ first day on the job will be Feb. 16.
