© Susan Watts / ReutersMayor Bill de Blasio is joined by (L) Department Correction Commissioner Joe Ponte and (R) Warden Becky Scott Susan Watts / Reuters
Ponte, the Department of Corrections (DOC) commissioner, announced his retirement on Friday. He was not expected to retire for several more months, but decided that the scandals had become too much of a distraction for him to remain on the job, the
New York Times reported.
"I am happy to have spent the last chapter of my career in New York City," he said in a statement. "It was a privilege to work with the men and women of the Department as we reduced violence and the overuse of punitive segregation, brought on 3,700 new officers, re-trained a large part of the staff, added thousands of security cameras, and provided new opportunities for education and training for inmates, among many other initiatives."
De Blasio praised Ponte's three-year tenure at the DOC.
"Joe Ponte has spent his life reforming jails," he said in a statement. "New York City owes a debt of gratitude to Commissioner Ponte for his tireless efforts to change the culture and improve the effectiveness of one of the nation's most challenging jail systems."
Comment: Any demands that human rights organizations make on behalf of Palestinians will continue to be ignored as IDF abuse is simply part and parcel of the Israeli government's systemic oppression against the Palestinians.