The new jail would replace the Bronx House of Detention, which was closed in 2001, and later transferred to the Related Companies as part of the Gateway Center development project. The department also plans to re-open a larger, renovated version of the Brooklyn House of Detention.
Opening these jails would allow the department to raze 6,000 prison beds at Rikers, Horn explained at the Oct. 23 meeting. In response to a falling crime rate, only 4,000 of these beds would be replaced, Horn said, bringing the city’s total jail capacity down to 17,000 from about 19,000.
John Boston, the director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project at Legal Aid, supports the idea of moving prisoners off Rikers Island. And while Boston acknowledges that a jail might not be the most pleasant type of facility for Hunts Point residents to have around, he doesn’t think it would detract from the quality of life in the neighborhood. Boston said he lives in Brooklyn, not far from the Brooklyn House of Detention, and he would not be bothered if this jail re-opened.
“I do think there is a real not-in-my-backyard, knee-jerk response to jails,” Boston said. “Jails have to go somewhere. They’re an essential feature of the criminal justice system.”
Morello agrees. He questions the neighbors’ comparison of the jail with other municipal facilities in Hunts Point. “I think a jail is a clean industry compared to the concerns they have about a fertilizer plant,” said Morello, who estimates that the jail project could bring 1,000 new jobs for local residents.
But neighbors aren’t convinced. Many say the $375 million to be spent on the jail would be better spent on education, affordable housing, or social services in Hunts Point.
Hunts Point is already home to a prison barge and two juvenile detention centers, residents point out. “You live here, you’re surrounded by jails,” Freilla said. “It sends a message that the city doesn’t care about your life. And ultimately this is where you’re going to end up.”
Other groups oppose the jail project because they think it would eclipse the possibility of alternative uses for this large waterfront property. Before the city’s plans for a jail at Oak Point were made public, Sustainable South Bronx and Green Worker Cooperatives had been working on a feasibility study to create a “recycling industrial park” at Oak Point, a collection of businesses that would utilize and recycle construction and demolition waste. This type of operation could benefit both the city and the local community by providing jobs for local residents and reducing the amount of solid waste the city exports, said Conte.
The department has started evaluating the environmental condition of the land at Oak Point and will begin the scoping process for the land as early as January, according to Morello. While the department is still in the early stages of considering Oak Point, no other viable sites have been located.
Community in Unity intends to meet with local elected officials in coming weeks and continue to spread the word among residents. The coalition does not yet have a unified stance on what the land should be used for but is calling for a planning process that includes residents’ input.
Horn is scheduled to meet with the members of Community Board 2 on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Police Athletic League at 991 Longwood Ave. in the Bronx.
