"It's really in the hands of the England and Wales Cricket Board," Richardson said today.
"The ICC doesn't have jurisdiction and doesn't get involved. If he plays, obviously he hasn't been charged with anything yet, so he plays."
Richardson said the ICC jurisdiction revolved around events in international cricket and on the field. Anything that happens outside that Stokes' employers need to handle.
"I think he's different," Richardson said of Stokes.
"People get involved in things you don't want to necessarily get involved in and you're not going to be perfect angels all the time.
"Being a former lawyer, (I would say) the process will take its course."
Asked his view on whether Stokes should play for Canterbury, Richardson said: "If he needs a bit of practice why not."
That said, he added that the publicity surrounding Stokes is bad for the game.
"Any bad publicity is not great for the game but let's not forget he hasn't been changed, there's a process that needs to be followed, and the ECB and law enforcement agencies in the UK will deal with it as it should be dealt with."