NY Closes Last Floating Prison Ship.
NY Closes The Very Last Floating Prison Ship
The closure of the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, the last floating prison ship in New York, marks a significant step in the city’s plan to replace its correctional system with smaller jails. The 800-bed prison barge was initially brought in over 30 years ago to alleviate overcrowding at Rikers Island, but it has faced numerous criticisms and scandals throughout its existence.
Conditions on the ship, described by detainees as a “modern-day slave ship,” have drawn scrutiny from advocates for years. The death of Stephan Khadu, who succumbed to a treatable infection of meningitis, further highlighted the substandard living conditions on the ship. Despite investigations into his death, no evidence of improper care was found by the state’s attorney general.
The Department of Corrections plans to centralize operations by transferring the ship’s 500 occupants to Rikers Island temporarily. As for the future of the boat, the department has not provided any details. Latima Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, explained that the move aims to enhance the management of people in custody and the utilization of resources.
The closure of the prison ship is a cause for celebration for Stephan Khadu’s mother, Lezandre Khadu, who plans to visit the boat after the closure. She hopes to witness first-hand that the ship will never house another person again. This closure is not the first attempt to shut down the ship, as it was temporarily closed in the 1990s before being repurposed as a juvenile justice center and eventually returning to a regular jail.
