By Sarah Calams
NEW YORK — The New York City Department of Correction is celebrating its 125th year as a city agency.
To pay tribute to the milestone, the Empire State Building lit up with blue and orange colors on January 4, according to a NYCDOC press release.
“We are grateful to the Empire State Building team for recognizing the importance of our history and our work, and for honoring the city’s correctional workers with such a fantastic display,” said DOC Commissioner Cynthia Brann. “People who work in corrections are dedicated professionals driven by a desire to help people, and they too often go unrecognized. There is no affirmation quite like seeing New York’s most famous building lit up in respect.”
The department began its first day of operations as a city agency on January 1, 1896. Robert J. Wright served as the first Correction Commissioner, and the initial census of people in custody was 2,650.
Currently, the department is in the process of implementing borough-based jail plans, which will cause Rikers Island facilities to close and be replaced with four new jails.
“This is a historic pivot point, just like 125 years ago,” said Department of Correction Historian Thomas McCarthy.