Zohran Mandami Taps Ex-Incarcerated Criminal Reform Advocate Stanley Richards To Run NYC Jails

Richards hopes to chart “a path of hope" as NYC jails have been riddled in controversy for years.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mandami continues to build his cabinet with a newly appointed head of the Department of Correction, former Rikers Island inmate Stanley Richards, the first formerly incarcerated person to serve in the space, the New York Daily News reported.

Mandami entrusted Richards to take over the city’s big jails in hopes of introducing safety and reform. The mayor not only calls Richards’ appointment “symbolic” but a “testament to the thought and leadership he will bring to every member of Correction staff and incarcerated New Yorkers.”

The new Corrections leader served four-and-a-half years in prison for robbery in the late 1980s, but since his release, he has used his time to help those like him. Prior to the appointment, Richards served as president of The Fortune Society, a nonprofit that helps inmates reenter society after release from prison.

He calls his work a testament to the importance of working together.

“My experience and journey is a testament that 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,” Richards said.

His experience goes back to serving as a deputy correction commissioner under former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and on the city’s Board of Correction; however, Richards has a long way to go.

While he hopes his leadership will chart “a path of hope,” Richards is entering unchartered territory. For the past several years, according to The Gothamist, NYC prisons have been riddled with controversy, including complaints of staff misconduct, sexual violence, and drug overdoses. Between 2019 and 2025, at least 76 people died in custody.

In 2023, data revealed Rikers Island prison faced close to 500 lawsuits of overlooked sexual abuse cases, with both female and male victims being named.

Under ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ reign, conditions reportedly deteriorated. Released surveillance footage highlighted horrendous conditions in the Rikers Island jails, with one inmate seen locked in a cage shower for almost 24 hours. Another prisoner defecated on himself due to a lack of toilets, and detainees were seen taking over for jail staff by dragging sick people for medical treatment.

Justice reform advocates have celebrated Richards’ appointment. Legal Aid Society’s criminal defense practice leading attorney, Tina Luongo, said he is what’s needed — since he understands firsthand how prisons work.

“Few people understand New York City’s jail system — and what is needed to reform it — more deeply than Stanley Richards,” Luongo said.

“He brings unmatched insight, credibility, compassion, and a deep commitment to advancing meaningful reform.”