NYC DOC Commissioners List: Every Leader From 1896 to Today

Stanley Richards is the current Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction, appointed in February 2026.1NYC.gov. Leadership at DOC He is the 39th person to hold the post. The full NYC DOC commissioners list below covers every known permanent and interim commissioner going back to 1896, drawn from the department’s historical records.2NYC Department of Correction History. NYC Correction Commissioners List

Current Commissioner

Stanley Richards took office in February 2026.1NYC.gov. Leadership at DOC He succeeded Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, the 38th commissioner, who had served since December 8, 2023.3NYC Mayor’s Office. Mayor Adams Appoints Lynelle Maginley-Liddie as Department of Correction Commissioner

Commissioners From 1896 to 1945

  • Robert J. Wright: January 1896 to December 1897
  • Francis J. Lantry: January 1898 to December 1901, and again January 1904 to October 1906
  • Thomas W. Hynes: January 1902 to December 1903
  • John V. Coggey: October 1906 to December 1908
  • John J. Barry: January 1909 to January 1910
  • Patrick A. Whitney: January 1910 to December 1913
  • Katharine Bement Davis: January 1914 to December 1915
  • Burdette G. Lewis: December 1915 to December 1917
  • James A. Hamilton: January 1918 to December 1922
  • Frederick A. Wallis: January 1923 to August 1927
  • Richard C. Patterson: August 1927 to September 1932
  • Robert L. Tudor: October 1932 to May 1933
  • William J. Cahill: May 1933 to October 1933
  • Wilbur T. Wright: November 1933 to December 1933
  • Austin H. MacCormick: January 1934 to January 1940
  • David “Mickey” Marcus: January 1940 to October 1940
  • Peter F. Amoroso: October 1940 to December 1946

Commissioners From 1946 to 1991

  • Albert Williams: December 1946 to December 1953
  • Anna M. Kross: January 1954 to March 1966. One of the longest-serving commissioners in department history; the Rikers Island jail that bears her name is still in operation.4NYC Department of Correction. Facilities Overview
  • George F. McGrath: March 1966 to January 1972
  • Benjamin Malcolm: January 1972 to November 1977
  • Joseph D’Elia (interim): November 1977 to January 1978
  • William Ciuros: January 1978 to August 1979
  • Benjamin Ward: August 1979 to December 1983
  • Peter Seitchik (interim): January 1984
  • Jacqueline McMickens: January 1984 to September 1986
  • Richard Koehler: September 1986 to December 1989
  • James Hunter (interim): December 1989 to February 1990
  • George R. Vierno (interim): February 1990 to March 1990
  • Allyn Seilaff: March 1990 to December 1991
  • Gerald Mitchell (interim): December 1991 to March 1992

Commissioners From 1992 to Present

  • Catherine Abate: April 1992 to March 1994
  • Anthony Schembri: March 1994 to January 1995
  • Michael P. Jacobson: January 1995 to December 1997
  • Bernard B. Kerik: January 1998 to August 2000. Later appointed NYPD commissioner.
  • Gary M. Lanigan (interim): August 2000 to November 2000, and again briefly in December 2002
  • William J. Fraser: November 2000 to December 2002
  • Martin F. Horn: January 2003 to July 2009
  • John J. Antonelli (interim): August 2009 to September 2009
  • Dora B. Schriro: September 2009 to February 2014
  • Mark J. Cranston (interim): January 2014 to April 2014
  • Joseph Ponte: March 2014 to June 2017
  • Cynthia Brann: October 2017 to May 2021
  • Vincent N. Schiraldi: June 2021 to late 2021
  • Louis A. Molina: January 2022 to late 2023
  • Lynelle Maginley-Liddie: December 2023 to February 20263NYC Mayor’s Office. Mayor Adams Appoints Lynelle Maginley-Liddie as Department of Correction Commissioner
  • Stanley Richards: February 2026 to present1NYC.gov. Leadership at DOC

A few patterns are worth noting. Turnover accelerated sharply after 2017, with five commissioners in under six years. By contrast, Anna M. Kross held the post for twelve years, and Martin F. Horn for nearly seven. Interim appointees often bridged gaps of only a few weeks.

How the Commissioner Is Appointed

Under Chapter 25 of the New York City Charter, the mayor appoints the commissioner of correction. The commissioner serves at the mayor’s pleasure, meaning the mayor can remove them at any time without a hearing or formal cause.5American Legal Publishing. New York City Charter – Chapter 25 Department of Correction That authority explains why a new mayor often installs a new commissioner on day one, and why the list above shows such rapid change through recent administrations.

Once in office, the commissioner must file annual financial disclosure reports with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, as required of all agency heads under Section 12-110 of the New York City Administrative Code.6Conflicts of Interest Board. Annual Disclosure The reports cover the commissioner’s financial interests, outside positions, and those of a spouse or domestic partner.

Who Oversees the Commissioner

Two outside structures constrain whoever holds the job.

The Board of Correction is a nine-member civilian oversight body established by the City Charter. It sets minimum standards for conditions in city jails, inspects facilities, investigates complaints from staff and people in custody, and evaluates the department’s performance.7NYC.gov. About – Board of Correction The commissioner runs the department day to day, but the board’s standards set a regulatory floor the commissioner must meet.

Since 2015, the department has also operated under a federal consent decree from Nunez v. City of New York, a class action over a pattern of excessive force by correction officers. A court-appointed monitor files regular compliance reports.8NYC Department of Correction. Nunez Monitor Reports In November 2024, the federal court held the city in contempt. In May 2025, rather than impose a full receivership, the court appointed a Nunez Remediation Manager with broad authority to take whatever steps are necessary to cure the contempt, giving a court-appointed official the final say on policies the commissioner would normally control.9U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. Opinion and Order Regarding Appointment of a Nunez Remediation Manager The current commissioner therefore operates with meaningfully less autonomy than predecessors did before 2015.