Overview
- Richards becomes the first formerly incarcerated person to serve as New York City’s correction commissioner.
- He led the Fortune Society and previously served as a DOC deputy commissioner and on the city’s Board of Correction.
- Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain has installed Nicholas Deml as remediation manager who answers only to the court.
- Union president Benny Boscio said officers hope Richards prioritizes safety, and past friction with the union remains unresolved.
- Rikers confronts persistent violence, 76 deaths since 2019 including 15 last year, a growing jail population, and a closure plan with major delays, including a Manhattan facility not expected until at least 2032.