Crisis In City Jalis- Juvenile Incarceration On The Rise - DJS Leadership Concerns

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) - With the 2024 Maryland General Assembly gaveled into its 90-day session Wednesday afternoon, a voice from Vincent Schiraldi’s New York City past slammed the DJS chief.
In an interview with FOX45 News, New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA) president Benny Boscio shared his experiences working with Schiraldi.
Appointed under then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in May 2021, Schiraldi was tasked with leading the Department of Corrections for America’s largest city, public records show.
As part of the corrections system, Schiraldi was responsible for the city’s notorious Rikers Island prison system.
While Rikers Island has earned its notorious reputation due to years of government neglect, according to Boscio, Schiraldi pushed the system to its breaking point.
I’ve been a corrections officer for over 25 years. Schiraldi was probably the worst commissioner we had in my tenure as being a corrections officer. He lied to us about violence, he was more into inmate programming instead of safety and security. It was a real debacle.” COBA president Benny Boscio explained to FOX45 News.
In a Rikers Island jail monitoring report published in December 2021, the independent court-appointed commission also had strong condemnation for Schiraldi’s leadership on the embattled jail island.
Citing multiple times a “summer crisis” that occurred under Schiraldi, the jail facility monitoring team gave the system a non-compliant grade.
“The [New York City] Department [of Corrections] is in a crisis. A crucial foundation for effective leadership is adequate supervision and accountability. At the moment, both are severely lacking,” the New York City monitoring report read.
The report continued by outlining, in part, “accountability is a critical component to addressing the culture of violence within the jails.”In January 2022, Mayor Eric Adams appointed someone else to fill Schiraldi’s role overseeing the New York City corrections system.
Since being appointed by then-incoming Gov. Wes Moore in January 2023 to lead DJS, instances across Maryland have sparked concern about Schiraldi’s ability to lead the juvenile detention agency.
Charging documents showed 18-year-old Tristan Jackson was placed at the crime scene of the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting in July that killed two and injured another 28.
Jackson, charged with multiple gun violations allegedly associated with the mass shooting, was wearing a DJS ankle monitor, according to court records."I plead, and I cried for them to arrest her and not to send her in a group home because I didn’t think that would be effective,” the 14-year-old’s mother explained to FOX45 News. “They be giving them a slap on the wrist.”
According to Boscio, Marylanders’ experience with Schiraldi’s juvenile services is consistent with what he experienced in New York City.
It’s like we lived in a third-world country,” COBA president Benny Boscio recalled to FOX45 News. “He [Schiraldi] contributed to that madness. He came here with this mindset of de-incarceration and the reality is like, even today, we have 5,700 officers and 6,200 inmates in a city of 9 million people.”Despite pressure mounting from state prosecutors and county leaders on Annapolis lawmakers from across the state, Gov. Wes Moore doubled down on his support to lead DJS during a press conference Tuesday.
If there’s anyone who is up to the job, it’s our Secretary of Juvenile Services, Vinny Schiraldi,” Gov. Moore declared in a pre-session press conference.
In response to a series of questions submitted to Gov. Moore’s office, two spokespersons questioned why Schiraldi’s past is being questioned now. “Seems like questions that would have been asked a year ago when he was hired,” one spokesperson for Gov. Moore replied in an email.
Another of Gov. Moore's senior advisors told FOX45 News, "this line of questioning seems dedicated to not informing viewers but pursuing a pre-mediated line of questioning that has already been answered multiple times."
Despite Gov. Moore's office's pushback, Boscio questioned why he is standing by Schiraldi, considering his past and current performance.
"He [Schiraldi] is not security conscious of things, and frankly, in my dealings with him, I do not think [Schiraldi] should be in charge of any type of corrections facility or juvenile detention center,” Boscio told FOX45 News.In a warning to the General Assembly, Boscio recited his union and the city’s battle with Schiraldi’s policies.
If they [the General Assembly] want a safe environment, they have to understand there has to be viable deterrence and consequences for bad behavior,” Boscio said.
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