{"id":1403608,"date":"2026-02-04T06:53:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T11:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1403608&preview=true&preview_id=1403608"},"modified":"2026-02-04T06:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T11:53:43","slug":"mamdani-names-stanley-richards-ex-con-criminal-justice-reformer-run-nyc-jails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/04\/mamdani-names-stanley-richards-ex-con-criminal-justice-reformer-run-nyc-jails\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani appoints a formerly incarcerated criminal justice reformer to run NYC jails"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Mamdani announced his appointment of five new city agency commissioners Saturday afternoon \u2014 including the first-ever formerly incarcerated person to serve as head of the Department of Correction.<\/p>\n

Mamdani entrusted Stanley Richards, an ex-Rikers Island inmate and former executive vice president at The Fortune Society<\/a>, with overseeing the Big Apple\u2019s jails, aiming for both a safer jail system and reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat achievement is not merely symbolic,\u201d Mamdani said of Richards\u2019 historic appointment. \u201cIt is a testament to the thought and leadership he will bring to every member of Correction staff and incarcerated New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richards served four and a half years in prison for robbery in the late 1980s. Since then, in his role at The Fortune Society<\/a>, he has worked to help prepare people for their release from prison and reentry into society.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy experience and journey is a testament,\u201d Richards said, \u201cthat when we provide support, when we center our collective work to hope instead of fear, when we see the best in all of us instead of judging people in the worst thing we ever done, when we see our commonality (more) than our difference, we can achieve the unimaginable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the mayor, he said, \u201cHis administration made clear that the future of Rikers (Island jail) is not endless confinement, scapegoating or demonizing. It is safety, transparency and rehabilitation \u2014 my vision aligns fully with that mission. Safer jails today \u2014 borough-based facilities that prioritize dignity, opportunity and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Benny Boscio, the president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association union, said of Richard\u2019s appointment, \u201cDespite the many false narratives that have portrayed COBA as an \u2018obstacle to reform,\u2019 we have been ready, willing and able to meet and work with anyone, as long as they respect the rights of our Correction Officers and understand that their safety and security matter. \u2026 It is our hope that Mr. Richards understands that dynamic as he takes on this new role and demonstrates a commitment to putting safety and security before any political ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Vilda
Vilda Vera Mayuga was named the new head of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, or OATH. (Mayor’s Office of Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mamdani also named Dr. Alister Martin<\/a> as commissioner of the city\u2019s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Martin is an emergency physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, having previously served as an adviser in the Office of the Vice President under Kamala Harris and a White House Fellow in the White House Office of Public Engagement.<\/p>\n