Osborne Association Applauds Governor Hochul’s Nomination and State Senate’s Confirmation of Alexander Dockery to the New York State Commission of Correction

NEW YORK, NY —  The Osborne Association today applauded Governor Kathy Hochul’s nomination and the New York State Senate’s confirmation of Alexander Dockery to serve on the New York State Commission of Correction, an independent oversight body responsible for helping ensure safe and humane conditions in correctional facilities across the state.

Dockery, who received clemency from Governor Hochul in 2023 after serving nearly 23 years in prison, is a Community Health Worker at Osborne’s Marcus Garvey II supportive housing program in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where he supports older adults returning home from incarceration. In that role, Dockery works directly with residents as a peer advisor, connecting them to primary and behavioral health care, accompanying them to appointments, meeting one-on-one with residents who need additional support, and drawing on his own experience to help people navigate reentry with dignity, stability, and hope.

“I want to give a big thank-you to Governor Hochul for her trust and her support. This nomination and confirmation shows that people at the highest levels really do care, and that change is possible in correctional facilities,” said Alexander Dockery. “I’ve spent an enormous amount of time in these places, so I know what works. I want to draw on that experience to help individuals who are incarcerated and to help staff members. Having been on both sides — both being incarcerated and working in youth detention centers — I know that everyone wants safety and accountability, and I plan to work with my colleagues to make that a reality in our correctional facilities. I will do everything in my power to faithfully execute my duties. And I will not waver.”

“Alexander Dockery represents exactly the kind of leadership New York needs in correctional oversight: principled, informed, compassionate, and grounded in lived experience,” said Osborne Association President and CEO Jonathan Monsalve. “At Osborne, Alexander has already shown what it means to turn experience into service. He is deeply trusted by residents, committed to learning, and relentless in his support of people rebuilding their lives after incarceration. We thank Governor Hochul for recognizing his leadership.”

The confirmation comes at a critical moment for New York’s correctional system and for the State Commission of Correction, which has an essential role in oversight, accountability, and the protection of basic human rights in jails and prisons. Recent reforms require that the Commission include the perspective of someone who has been directly impacted by incarceration.

While incarcerated, Dockery earned his GED, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree, and served as an assistant and tutor with New York University’s Prison Education Program, helping other incarcerated people pursue educational success. Since coming home, he has continued his commitment to service through his work at Osborne.

“People who have lived through incarceration understand both the failures of the system and the possibilities for change in ways that cannot be replicated from a distance,” Monsalve said. “Alexander’s confirmation is a meaningful step toward a correctional system that listens to those most directly affected by it.”

Osborne congratulates Alexander Dockery on this historic nomination and thanks Governor Hochul for elevating lived experience, reentry leadership, and community-rooted expertise in state service.

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