Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center no longer housing inmates
The prison ship was created in the 1990s as a temporary solution to the overcrowding issues at Rikers Island.
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The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center is soon going to close its doors, after it was announced that the ship prison would no longer house inmates.
The prison ship was created in the 1990s as a temporary solution to the overcrowding issues at Rikers Island. Three decades later, the ship still stands five stories tall and two football fields long.
The Department of Correction says the center has closed its doors to inmates for good, as the last group of inmates was transferred to jails on Rikers Island two weeks ago. The ship was the last operating prison ship in the United States, and the Bronx community now watches closely to see what is next for the facility.
"This is years and years of advocacy from community residents, nonprofits even businesses that said this is no longer in our backyards we've done our fair share, and we feel that this is a promise that was made to us decades ago," said Councilmember Rafael Salamanca.
The boat will remain in custody of the DOC at this time, and plans are in the works for its future.
