Friday, March 26, 2021

MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS MARCOS GONZALEZ SOLER TO HEAD MAYOR’S OFFICE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE


  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that Marcos Soler will head the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. As Director, Soler will oversee citywide criminal justice policy and develop and implement strategies across city agencies and partners to enhance public safety. Soler will play a critical role in implementing the City’s police reform plan and also serve as the Mayor’s representative to the courts, district attorneys, and state criminal justice agencies, among others. 

“Throughout my Administration we’ve seen the incredible impact of the Cure Violence Movement and Crisis Management System in neighborhoods across our city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Now, as we build a recovery for all of us, it’s time to deepen that work. I trust that Marcos will lead the charge to bring us back, all while keeping New York City the safest big city in America.”

 

"For seven years, this administration has shown that it is possible to reduce both crime and imprisonment with fairer, more targeted enforcement and innovative community-based strategies across the entire justice system. MOCJ has played a critical role in advancing the most ambitious and successful changes to operations of the criminal justice the City has seen in decades," said Marcos Gonzalez Soler, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. "It has been my privilege to work alongside the dedicated, hardworking, and immensely talented staff that make up our office for years as chief of staff. Now as director, it will be my honor to continue to advance the mayor’s agenda of criminal justice reform.”

 

Marcos Gonzalez Soler has served as Chief of Staff at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice since 2015. Before that, Soler was the deputy executive director for policy and strategic initiatives at the Civilian Complaint Review Board. He worked closely with the board in conceptualizing and implementing major initiatives at the CCRB, including the implementation of the administrative prosecution unit and the drafting of several policy reports and recommendations. He served as acting executive director from February to April of 2013.

 

Soler also served as deputy federal monitor in the agreement for the sustainable reform of the Puerto Rico Police Department, the largest reform agreement in the United States. Between 2009 and 2011, he was a board member and treasurer of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE).

 

Soler serves as an adjunct faculty member in the political science department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. At John Jay, Soler developed the first of its kind graduate level course in public oversight of law enforcement in coordination with National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. He had also taught in the NYPD executive master program in criminal justice at John Jay.

 

Soler holds a Master’s in public policy and management and a Ph.D. in politics from The New School University, where he was the recipient of the Hannah Arendt Award for the best dissertation in politics. He was a doctoral research fellow in jurisprudence at the University of Valencia School of Law and a research fellow at the Spanish Center for Constitutional Studies. He holds several graduate and law degrees from several European universities, including University of Valencia Law School & University of Valencia, the European Academy of Legal theory, the International Institute for the Sociology of Law, and the Spanish National Center for Constitutional Studies. Additionally, he is a graduate of the New York City Leadership Institute and a recipient of the Mayor’s Graduate Scholarship program. A native of Spain, Soler moved to New York City in 1998. He lives with his wife, a public-school teacher, and children on Staten Island.

 

“Over the last seven years the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice has played a critical role conceptualizing, implementing, and coordinating significant change in our justice system—from developing the historic plan to close Rikers to creative gun violence prevention and community-led safety initiatives,” Susan Herman, Director of ThriveNYC, said. “We have seen dramatic changes in every part of the criminal justice system largely due to MOCJ's efforts and Marcos Soler has been a valuable member of the leadership team that has made it happen. As he takes the helm, I congratulate him and look forward to continuing to work together to make New York a safer, fairer, and healthier city.”

 

“Marcos’ expertise on the issues is matched by his commitment to making New York City a more just and equitable place. He is absolutely the right person to lead the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice,” said CCRB Executive Director Jonathan Darche. “The CCRB looks forward to working with Marcos and MOCJ on implementing police reforms and empowering civilian oversight in our City.”

 

"I look forward to working with Marcos in building a fairer criminal justice system," said Community Affairs Unit Commissioner Roberto Perez. "I am confident that Marcos will successfully advance this administration's community-focused policies like the Mayor's Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, borough-based jails, and NYPD reform." 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment