A federal judge has appointed Nicholas Deml, the former head of Vermont’s prison system, to take control of Rikers Island.
Deml, who is also a former C.I.A. officer, has been named the new “Nunez remediation manager” for the city’s jail system, a role that puts him in charge of Rikers Island and allows him to make decisions independently of the mayor.
The appointment comes after a judge ordered that control of the jail complex be transferred to a new official reporting directly to the court.
Deml will work alongside the city’s correction commissioner to implement reforms and improve conditions across the city’s jails.
Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society, and Debbie Greenberger, partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, praised the appointment in a joint statement, calling it “a historic step toward ending the egregious constitutional violations that incarcerated New Yorkers continue to endure each day in New York City jails.”
Werlwas and Greenberger described Deml as a leader with “fortitude, compassion, and political acumen” whose background gives him a unique perspective on tackling complex problems.
“Most importantly to us, Mr. Deml demonstrated in our conversations with him that he understands people in custody need real solutions to the dangerous dysfunction harming them—even, and especially, when those solutions require a break from the status quo,” the statement said.