Rikers Island

New York's best-known jail, located on a 413-acre island in the East River.

Rikers Island is a 413 acre prison island in the East River in the Bronx, New York City, United States, that contains New York City's largest jail. It is named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664. The island was originally under 100 acre in size, but has since grown to more than 400 acres. The first stages of expansion were accomplished largely by convict labor hauling in ashes for landfill. The island is politically part of the Bronx, with a controlled-access bridge carrying the MTA Q100 and general traffic to and from Queens. It is part of Queens Community Board 1 and uses an East Elmhurst, Queens, ZIP Code of 11370 for mail.

Quick Facts

Location: The Bronx, New York City, United States
Nearest city: New York City
Area (acres): 413
Established: 1932
Governing body: Non-city employee remediation manager reporting to Laura Taylor Swain

Lore & Background

The island is named after Abraham Rycken, a Dutch settler who moved to Long Island in 1638 and took possession of the island in 1664. Rycken's descendants, the Ricker family, owned Rikers Island until 1884, when it was sold to the city for $180,000. The island was used as a military training ground during the Civil War. The first regiment to use the island was the 9th New York Infantry, also known as Hawkins' Zouaves, which arrived there on May 15, 1861. The jail was opened in 1932. Landfill continued to be added to the island until 1943, eventually enlarging the original 90 acre island to 415 acre. The original penitentiary building, completed in 1935, was called HDM, or the House of Detention for Men. It became a maximum security facility called the James A. Thomas Center and closed due to structural issues in 2000.

Reader's Guide

The Rikers Island complex, which consists of ten jails, holds local alleged offenders who are awaiting trial. People who are serving sentences of one year or less or are also temporarily detained there, pending transfer to another facility. Rikers Island is therefore not a prison by US terminology, which typically holds offenders serving longer-term sentences. It holds 10 of the New York City Department of Correction's 15 facilities, and can accommodate up to 15,000 detainees.

The average daily individuals in custody or detainees population on the island is about 10,000, although it can hold a maximum of 15,000. The daytime population, including detainees, staff, and visitors, can be as high as 20,000. The only road access to the island is from Queens, over the 4200 ft, three-lane Francis Buono Bridge, dedicated in November 1966, by Mayor John Lindsay. The street address is 15 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370.