Department of Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres, left, and his new deputy, Anthony Macaranas, pose for a photo during a press conference at the corrections facility on Jan. 8, 2024.
ANTHONY I. Macaranas, who was the assistant chief of police when he retired on Jan. 31, 2022, has assumed his new role as pro bono deputy commissioner of the Department of Corrections, Commissioner Anthony Torres announced at a press conference on Monday.
Macaranas said he is a CNMI government retiree and will not receive a salary for his new position at Corrections.
“This is giving back to the government,” Macaranas told the media, “[I’m] giving my service to the government.”
Macaranas said he is still a member of the CNMI Parole Board but is consulting with it about his eligibility to serve on the board while a deputy commissioner of Corrections.
He said he will step down from the board if there is a conflict of interest so that he can focus on his role with Corrections.
Torres said Macaranas will help keep the corrections facility operational.
“He’s going to be assisting me with running the operations, assisting the operation commanders, as well as implementing training,” Torres said.
Prior to Macaranas’s appointment as deputy commissioner, Torres said he was “wearing three or four hats as a commissioner” as he also functioned as a warden, public information officer, and grant writer, among other posts.
He wants Macaranas to be his “solid right-hand man” who can “push forward all these initiatives,” including trades training for inmates, a culinary arts program in the facility, and the beginning of a residential substance abuse treatment program.
“[Macaranas] will play a crucial part in shaping and implementing our organization’s strategic initiatives, fostering collaboration and innovation and upholding our commitment to excellence,” Torres said. “Our visions are aligned. We’re excited to work together to elevate this department.”
“Some of the services I could render are especially for front line officers,” Macaranas said. “We could try to identify what are the obstacles, [what] we can improve, and what are the trainings we can identify to help [them].”
He said the department’s purpose is to rehabilitate its inmates and make sure that “whatever programs we provide will help them….”
Macaranas wants to help inmates become more productive.
“We cannot just house them, feed them, watch them. We also have to find ways to help them, so that when they come out to the community, they’ll be productive citizens,” he added.
