Construction on NYC's first borough-based jail is officially underway, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced. Work on the Kew Gardens, Queens facility marks the first major move to build four smaller and "more humane" jails in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. The $8.3 billion effort comes via the Borough-Based Jails Program, a controversial plan passed by the City Council in October 2019, aimed at closing the 10 jails now in operation on Rikers Island. — Urbanize New York
The new, approximately 105-foot-tall structure will include a 25,000-square-foot, two-level, multi-purpose community space, along with a 600-car public parking garage. The 866-bed facility will replace the current Queens Detention Complex, which is located adjacent to Queens Borough Hall and the Queens Criminal Courthouse.
The parking garage and community space will feature a partially planted green roof, solar panels, and on-site stormwater retention. This portion of the project is expected to qualify for LEED Gold certification for environmental sustainability.
The NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) is managing the overall Borough-Based Jails program citywide. The Queens jail is being created by a design-build team consisting of Hunter Roberts Construction Group and architecture firms Marvel and Urbahn Architects. Work on the project is expected to complete in early 2023.
Procurement and early site preparation activities are ongoing for the other three Borough-Based Jails sites in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.
25 Comments
Just wondering what $8.3 billion spent revitalizing troubled communities would buy ...
they are revitalizing the incarcerated "community," do you actually expect them to give a fuck about people BEFORE they commit crime?
Maintaining a large underclass has numerous "benefits" including a radically divided society stoked by fear and volunteer cannon fodder for the military. Not to mention the profitable corporate prison complex and slave labor.
The federal government markets prison labor to businesses as the “best-kept secret”
Yeah, letting violent offenders out has worked so well in nyc. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-hate-crime-arrest-queens-nypd-20210715-xc7nhwlozvd7poxvysmmzemuve-story.html%3foutputType=amp
The problem is deeper than simple poverty. It’s a problem that’s rooted in the failed welfare policies that has incentivized fatherless homes— which is the greatest predictor of criminal behavior.
But something like big brother big sister programs and ymcas is a positive thing to invest in…along with sports and education…but none of this can happen in an environment where people are afraid to let their kids play outside, and good kids are pressured by bad apples every day.
What do you all suggest we do when someone blows some 20yos brains out in broad daylight? (Happened yesterday) Or someone tries to snatch a 5yo kid off the street?? (happened yesterday). Or someone beats the shit out of some elderly person??? (happened yesterday)
If you lack the intellect to understand shades in between the extremes, that's on you.
Your hubris to think that you know what’s good for people who live in these areas, that’s on you. The consequences of bad leftist ideas falls on the poor, and is mostly prompted by upper middle class and elites.
*Promoted
I completely understand the “shades in between”. We are talking about violent offenders being released
We weren't until you brought it up. So, why'd you bring it up?
Because of stupid idea that we don’t need prisons and that prisoners are just victims or whatever bs. We do. We don’t need to lock up people for stupid minor things. Agree on that. We can reduce incarceration greatly, but we can’t eliminate it. There are truly rotten people in society that terrorize communities. I hate the prison industrial complex and the police state mentality clearly, but you can’t just blabber things that sound good like “defund the police” or “it’s the systems fault” from privileged enclaves and let the poor and working class people deal with the fallout. Rising crime rates may not be a big deal for you, but I have plenty of family and friends in NY that are affected by this rise in crime. If you don’t see the connection between the slogans and hyperbole and that it emboldens criminals, sways policy, and causes police not give a fuck because of the constant disrespect, then your not as informed as you think. The political and academic class are talking shit with other peoples lives.
https://www.cato.org/blog/americans-dont-want-defund-police-instead-they-agree-reform
These incarcerated inmates would not remotely qualify for service in the armed forces. They may be cannon-fodder but it will be cannon-fodder in NYC and Chicago at the hands of their fellow criminals. The uber-liberal policy of releasing these arrested people back on the street after violent crime only ensures more of them get blown away quicker (along with a lot of innocent bystanders, including children).
Why is it that only the people jumping in to defend incarceration are using the adjective "violent"?
Dem: lock up every insurrrectionist! Also Dem: that young man who bashed the old mans head in with a brick deserves a second chance because imequalita
Right like I said, anyone trying to defend mass incarceration needs to lean exclusively on the emotional response to violent lawlessness because keeping teenagers in jail for DUIs, stolen backpacks, and a few grams of weed is indefensible and y'all know it.
Sure, and they shouldn’t, but violent criminals also should not be released like they have been.
I'm not saying it should be part of the AIA Ethics, but I will say if there was a voluntary statement that firms could sign onto that publicly promised not to participate in the design of prisons et al, I would exclusively work for firms that had signed on. I think I'm far from alone in this.
So the prisoners would be housed in something from the era of Charles Dickens? Smart, really smart.
Volunteer, stop making so much sense. Logic is imperialist or something.
Not exactly the "list" you request, but of course there's the good work of https://www.adpsr .org/ that should be called out in this regard! They at least managed to move forward a conversation around the Ethics of Prison Design.
It would be more helpful to see what these look like inside, to judge whether they are "more humane". This looks like a massive parking structure behind a strip mall.
And yes 8.3 billion for more humane prisons is ridiculous. They could easily spend this money for better teachers, better support to broken families and more outreach, that will eventually necessitate not having such a large incarcerated population. Oh snap, I arrived at the reason why the prison-industrial complex does not even need to exist.
It's being marketed on amenities as if it was a tourist destination:
I'm surprised that they didn't call them en suite bedrooms.
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