NEW YORK – Stanley Richards long faced the label of “formerly incarcerated person.” 

For decades, he’s also worked to help others return home from jails and prisons. He’s served on an oversight board for New York City’s jail system, and the Obama administration named him a “champion of change.”

“None of us are the worst things that we’ve ever done,” Richards said.

Richards is the first person on the senior staff of the city’s Department of Correction  who was formerly incarcerated in its jails. As first deputy commissioner, Richards will oversee  programs and operations at a crucial time as the city moves toward closing the Rikers Island.

In an interview with USA TODAY on Tuesday, Richards