Mayor Mamdani Appoints Christopher Watler as Chair of the Board of Correction

 

Watler has dedicated his career to fighting for a more equitable criminal legal system and expanding pathways to successful reentry 

 

As Chair, Walter will advance the administration’s commitment to improving conditions for people in custody while closing Rikers Island 

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the appointment of Christopher Watler as Chair of the Board of Correction (BOC), the independent body responsible for overseeing the City’s jail system. Watler will lead the Board as the Mamdani administration works to improve conditions for people in custody and the staff who serve them, strengthen accountability across the jail system and finally close Rikers Island.

Interim Chair Felipe Franco will continue serving as a member of the BOC.

Watler has dedicated his career to fighting for a more equitable criminal legal system. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), where he led efforts to connect people returning from incarceration with employment opportunities and reentry services.

The BOC is charged with establishing and ensuring compliance with minimum standards governing conditions of confinement, correctional health and mental health care in all City correctional facilities.

“Christopher Watler has spent his career helping New Yorkers navigate a criminal legal system that too often fails to treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. He understands that community safety and justice go hand in hand, and that means improving conditions for people in custody, supporting the staff who care for them and finally closing Rikers Island. I am confident he will lead the Board of Correction with integrity and an unwavering commitment to that work,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “I also want to thank Felipe Franco for his leadership during this period of transition. Because of his service, the Board continued its essential work without interruption.”

“I am honored by this appointment and deeply grateful to the Mayor for entrusting me with this position,” said Christopher Watler, incoming Chair of the Board of Correction. “For too long, the people under care in our jails have been denied the dignity, safety and justice that the law promises and our conscience demands.  This great city is my home and the people incarcerated in our jails are our neighbors, sons and daughters. Like every New Yorker, they deserve the same access to justice, health care, jobs and housing that we all want. In this position, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board, the dedicated BOC staff, NYC DOCs leadership, union leaders, advocates, City Council, the Correctional Health Services Team, Remediation Manager, Federal Monitor and other partners to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the people held in the city’s care and the safety of our staff and partners working in the jails.”

“We have set this agency on a course to improve conditions for all who live and work in our jails and the Board of Correction is a vital partner in fulfilling that mission,” said New York City Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards. “Chair Watler brings a wealth of experience that makes him exceptionally well-suited for this role, and we look forward to working with him.”

“The Board of Correction is critical to our shared goal of oversight and reform in New York City's jails.” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “The task ahead is immense, and I look forward to working with incoming Chair Watler to faithfully implement reforms like Local Law 42, expand transparency and accountability, and protect people on both sides of the bars as we reject failing practices and build systems that deliver justice and progress.” 

About Christopher Watler:

Christopher Watler is a nonprofit leader who has dedicated his career to fighting for a more equitable criminal legal system.

As Executive Vice President of CEO, Watler oversees efforts to build and promote reentry and diversion programs in more than 30 cities across the country. He previously served as Executive Director of CEO’s New York State program, where he led efforts to connect recently incarcerated New Yorkers with job opportunities and supportive services.

Before joining CEO, Watler spent more than two decades at the Center for Justice Innovation, where he developed reentry and diversion programs for young people and adults, as well as eviction prevention programs for housing court litigants.

Watler is a graduate of the State University of New York at Purchase, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science, and John Jay College, where he received a master’s degree in public administration. A native New Yorker and the proud son of Jamaican and Honduran immigrants, Watler lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant with his family.