After 23 years of service, Mark J. Cranstonon retired from NYC DOC March 6, 2010.

He began his career as a Correction Officer at the Brooklyn House of Detention in 1987. He was promoted to Captain in 1996, and served at the Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC) until 1999.

In 2000, Mark became the Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Department and was responsible for monitoring the Department overtime budget, staffing levels, employee discipline, training, and facility operations; he also conducted extensive research and analysis of a myriad of data collected at each facility for discussion and evaluation at the monthly TEAMS meetings.

Two years later, he was promoted to Assistant Deputy Warden and served as the Tour Commander at the Anna M. Kross Center. When on duty in this capacity he was accountable for the supervision of Captains and over 200 employees charged with the care, custody, and control of an inmate population of 2000, including mental observation and administratively segregated inmates, which presented unique circumstances and required enhanced supervision.

In 2003, Cranston took over as the Commanding Officer of the TEAMS Unit; he supervised and coordinated audits, inspections, and findings of the Total Efficiency Accountability Management System (TEAMS) Unit.

Also in 2003, Mark rose to the level of Deputy Warden and became the Executive Assistant to the Chief of Department; in this position, he oversaw the accurate and timely dissemination of information to the Chief of Department and the Office of the Commissioner; he also acted on behalf of the Chief as the executive liaison to all departmental bureaus and divisions, as well as all departmental labor unions, and other law enforcement agencies.

In 2004, Cranston was promoted to Warden and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Commissioner; he was responsible for the management, oversight, and administration of the day-to-day operations of the Department, including all operations conducted by the Chief of Department, Chief of Facility Operations, and the Chief of Custody Management and Environmental Health; additionally, he served as the Commissioner's primary liaison to all uniformed labor unions, uniformed and civilian staff, oversight agencies and other law enforcement agencies.

At the same time, Mark also had a concurrent assignment as the Commanding Officer of the Office of Policy & Compliance (OPC) encompassing the Policy and Procedure Unit, Total Efficiency Accountability and Management System (TEAMS), Data Integrity Unit, and Internal Audit Unit.

In 2009, Cranston was made Chief of Staff to the Commissioner, the position from which he retired; in this role, he served as the senior adviser to the Commissioner assisting in the overall management of the entire agency; he was also the primary liaison for the Commissioner to all staff and responsible for the overall management of the Commissioner's staff and the Office of the Commissioner.

The expectation is that Mark J. Cranston will be joining the staff of Gary M. Lanigan, former NYC DOC Acting Commissioner,who has been named by NJ's new governor to head that state's Department of Correction.

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