Plans For New Bronx Jail

A plan to build a new jail in The Bronx and to reopen and expand the Brooklyn House of Detention to reduce dependence on Rikers Island was unveiled by Department of Corrections (DOC) Commissioner Martin Horn last week.

"We propose to reduce the number of beds at Rikers Island by 4,000 beds," Horn said at a meeting of the United Community Civic Association (UCCA) on March 1. New York City currently has an average of 14,000 inmates in its jails on a given day, with 12,000 of them incarcerated on Rikers Island.

"That's about 10,000 [beds] short of what we would like," said UCCA President Rose Marie Poveromo. UCCA represents the residential community on the Queens side of the Rikers Island Bridge, the only land route to the facility. Calling Rikers Island an unwelcome neighbor, Poveromo nonetheless welcomed the plan. "This community has been in pain all these years," she said.

"I'd be lying if I were to say we would ever make the city's jail presence go away on Rikers Island," Horn said. But he added, "Queens has been asked for too long to shoulder the burden."

Rikers Island is difficult to access because of its single-service bridge. Presently, the DOC transports more than 1,500 detained inmates per day, the vast majority to and from Rikers Island, to courts throughout the five boroughs. Friends and family members also make some 268,000 visits to inmates on Rikers, in addition to visits by lawyers and service providers.

"The city has got to change things," said Horn. "We want to take a look at sister boroughs and build jails there."

The proposed DOC jail on 28-acres in the Oak Point section of The Bronx would house 2,000 beds for men on trial and woman and infants. The Brooklyn House of Detention, now closed, would be reopened and doubled in capacity. In addition, three-quarters of the beds for inmates are now located in temporary housing built 20 years ago on Rikers Island, which would be closed and demolished.

But, Horn said, the proposal must receive the approval of the City Council and faces stiff opposition in The Bronx. "Nobody likes a jail in their community," he said. "In the meantime, we are determined to be good neighbors." Horn apologized to the UCCA community for the inconveniences that being close to Rikers Island imposes on them. He also specifically apologized for a union demonstration by Corrections Officers in February that disrupted traffic in the area. "It was unconscionable," he said.

Horn praised Poveromo, calling her a "tireless champion for the interests of people on the streets around Rikers island" and said off-duty behavior of DOC staff was a police matter. "I have very little control," he said. "We ask for no special compensation. Give [misbehaving Corrections Officers] a ticket, I'm not opposed." Horn added, "If we find one of our staff members behaving in an unbecoming manner they will face discipline"- presumably if they are on duty.- Richard Gentilviso