Vincent N. Schiraldi (born January 3,1959) is an American juvenile justice policy reformer and activist who has served as the Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services since 2023.[1] He was previously a senior research scientist at the Columbia University School of Social Work from October 2017 to January 2023. He is known for advocating for trying suspects under the age of 21 in juvenile court,and for programs that supervise older inmates and erase their records if they find a job.[2][3] His advocacy for more lenient treatment of youth offenders has been controversial:youth advocates have praised his reforms for providing outlets for juveniles,while some law enforcement officers have questioned whether his policies have been too lenient.[4]
On January 12,2023,Governor-elect Wes Moore named Schiraldi as the Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services.[11] He took office in an acting capacity on January 18,2023. His nomination was the most controversial of Moore's cabinet nominees,with Maryland Senate Republicans,including Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr.,saying that Schiraldi was "a little progressive for some of our members"[12] and others scrutinizing his approach to juvenile justice.[13] On February 21,the Maryland Senate voted 33–14 along party lines to approve Schiraldi's nomination,making him the only member of Moore's cabinet not to receive a unanimous vote.[14][15]
In October 2024,after a Howard High School student with a prior criminal record was charged with first-degree murder,multiple Republican officials[16][17] and Baltimore community members called for the removal of Schiraldi as Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services.[18] Schiraldi declined to step down,telling The Baltimore Sun that he agreed with community members' desires to see fewer crimes involving young people and was implementing a plan to deter juvenile crime through policies to hold offenders accountable while doing "all we can" to turn their lives around.[19]
Schiraldi's Firing From Washington,D.C.
After a nearly two-year investigation launched in June 2008 by D.C.’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG),Vincent Schiraldi was found to have violated at least five sections of his agency’s policies. The OIG also found that Schiraldi provided preferential treatment to prisoners in violation of the city's personnel policies,which undermined public confidence in the government's integrity.
Schiraldi was found to have violated at least five safety protocols with three juvenile males who were residing in the Oak Hill maximum security facility at the time and two juvenile males who were former residents of the Oak Hill maximum security facility when they were taken to Schiraldi's home for a BBQ party and later,after Resident 1 escaped,a public theatre performance at Carter Baron Amphitheater. The charges included failure to properly restrain juveniles during transport and while in the home and theatre,failure to maintain visual contact with all juveniles while outside of the facility,improper number of corrections officer to resident ratio,and failure to promptly report escaped juveniles. The over two hour and forty-five minute delay in reporting Resident 1 having escaped through an unlocked basement door resulted in the juvenile being free in society and arrested twenty-two days later when he was re-arrested for selling cocaine. Resident 1 was a known as a "drug kingpin" in the D.C. drug dealing circuit and fellow residents gave statements that confirmed they were aware Resident 1 was planning on using the May 2008 cookout as an opportunity to escape prior to being transported to Schrialdi's home.
Schiraldi was fired from his position shortly after the findings.
On May 12,2021,then New York City Mayor,Bill DeBalsio appointed Vinny Schiraldi Commissioner of The Deparment of Corrections. Incoming Mayor Eric Adams fired Schiraldi in December of 2021. Fifteen detainees died at Rikers Island in 2021,an unprecedented number.
The New York City Correction Officers’Benevolent Association vehemently opposed many of Schiraldi’s proposals,including a move to 12-hour shifts to deal with staff shortages with hundreds out because of the vaccine mandate. “They hate his guts,”said one jail union insider,noting the Correction Captains’Association also lobbied to have him replaced. During his brief tenure,Schiraldi also made a strong push to force officers back to work as more than a thousand staffers were out sick or injured on any given day.
Correction Officers’Benevolent Association president Benny Boscio said,“I felt like I was in some movie where the inmates had taken over the jail because that’s what it looked like. 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.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore's Controversial Appointment of Vinny Schiraldi
In February of 2023,Maryland Governor Wes Moore appointed Vinny Schiraldi as Secretary of Department of Juvenile Services. Schilraldi is the only appointee in the position's history not to receive unanimous support.
“In February of 2023,Republicans made their concerns known about Mr. Schiraldi’s philosophies,agenda,and track record. Every Republican Senator voted against his nomination in the Senate Executive Nominations Committee and on the Senate Floor. Sadly,those concerns have become our reality,and we clearly need an immediate course correction and new leadership,”said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey.
Republican delegates to the Maryland State Senate voiced their disapproval in writing twice:once in February 2023 prior to Schiraldi's appointment,again in September 2024 after a 67 year old Baltimore City man was beaten unconscious and head stomped by a 15 year old with prior arrests.
Under Schiraldi's updated policy,DJS released the juvenile to his guardian unmonitored,despite his having prior arrests. After massive public outcry and a viewing of security camera footage,Baltimore City States Attorney,Ivan Bates had the juvenile arrested and charged with attempted murder.
An online change org citizen petition was written on September 30,2024,demanding Maryland Governor Moore remove Vincent Schiraldi immediately. Governor Moore has remained silent in the face of personally receiving the more than 3,000 signatures and 200 plus comments the petition has garnered.
In response to Moore's controversial appointment of Schraldi,New York City Councilman Robert Holden,D-Queens publicly stated "[There] was total anarchy in our jails,they just let it go. I think the governor (Moore) is living in a bizarro world because it couldn’t be furthest from the truth that Schiraldi [is] the answer. I say he is going to be a total disaster. If you wait long enough,you will see what I mean.”
Holden went on to question why Schiraldi was hired after leaving Rikers Island,a well-known New York jail,a “total disaster.”
"I cannot believe someone would hire this guy after what we have been through in New York City. It shows you there was a lack of really vetting ... Shiraldi turned ... Rikers Island into a complete nightmare,filled with rampant violence &a dangerous environment for staff and inmates. How can anyone even think of letting Shiraldi run their jails after this mess? He couldn’t run a hot dog stand. Unbelievable! Nobody thought he did a good job. Nobody can say that he improved the criminal justice system or the jails in New York City. He made them much worse,period.”"
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