Zohran Mamdani Hires Ex-Con To Lead Department Of Corrections

Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani tapped a convicted robber to run New York City’s troubled jail system.

Stanley Richards, 64, will become the first formerly incarcerated person to serve as commissioner of the Department of Correction, the New York Post reported Saturday. The appointment comes less than a week after a federal judge stripped City Hall of control over Rikers Island and installed an outside manager to oversee the facility.

Richards served roughly two and a half years on Rikers Island and an additional four and a half years in state prison for robbery in the late 1980s, according to Fox News. After his 1991 release, he joined the Fortune Society as a reentry counselor and eventually became the organization’s president. The Obama administration recognized him as a “Champion of Change” in 2014 for his work with formerly incarcerated individuals, according to White House archives. (RELATED: Mamdani’s Progressive Coalition Already Embroiled In Bitter Race War)

He previously served as the DOC’s deputy commissioner of programs and operations in 2021, NY1 reported. During that time, department leadership clashed repeatedly with the correction officers’ union.

Congratulations to our President and CEO, Stanley Richards, on his historic appointment by @NYCMayor Zohran Mamdani as the first formerly incarcerated Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction. Commissioner Richards has drawn on his lived experience to lead The… pic.twitter.com/xD72ZoU8Zd

— The Fortune Society (@thefortunesoc) February 1, 2026

Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain appointed Nicholas Deml, a former CIA officer and ex-head of Vermont’s prison system, as “remediation manager” for Rikers on Jan. 27, Queens Daily Eagle reported. Deml answers only to the federal court and has broad authority over the jail complex independent of the mayor.

The correction officers’ union responded cautiously to Richards’ appointment.

“The jails cannot and will not operate as safely as possible if the concerns of our members are brushed aside,” union president Benny Boscio said in a statement. “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.”

Richards will earn $243,171 annually and begins the job Feb. 16.