New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex has officially been placed under federal oversight, with Nicholas Deml appointed as independent administrator, relieving the city and Mayor Zohran Mamdani of local control.
The appointment, announced Tuesday marks what advocates call “a historic step” toward addressing the long-standing issues at the troubled facility. Deml, who previously served as Vermont’s Corrections Commissioner from 2021 to 2025, will now oversee operations at Rikers with authority that exceeds that of the city’s correction commissioner.
“Today’s appointment of Nicholas Deml as remediation manager for the city’s jail system is a historic step toward ending the egregious constitutional violations that incarcerated New Yorkers continue to endure each day,” said Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project at The Legal Aid Society, and Debbie Greenberger in a joint statement…