Wash Heights Prison Floated As Possible Home For Rikers Inmates

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A prison in Washington Heights was recently mentioned as a possible new home for almost 600 Rikers Island inmates by the Independent Commission on NYC Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, according to the New York Daily News.

The specific prison is the Edgecombe Correctional Facility at 611 Edgecombe Avenue, in between West 163rd and 164th Streets.

The Commission is a prominent criminal justice group with plans to lobby Gov. Kathy Hochul in an effort to reduce overcrowding at Rikers Island.

The group's executive director, Zachary Katznelson, testified in front of the State Assembly's Corrections Committee on Friday to begin the proposal.

The Edgecombe Correctional Facility is open, but only operating around 70 percent capacity, with the group wanting the Washington Heights prison to expand its services to allow for 100 percent capacity, reports the Daily News.

While the Independent Commission on NYC Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform mention the Upper Manhattan prison within its proposal, its first idea is to reopen two closed state prisons in Manhattan to hold the combined 598 Riker's inmates, according to the Daily News.

Those two prisons are the Bayview Correctional Facility in Chelsea and the Lincoln Correctional Facility at West 110th Street near Central Park North.

The Edgecombe Correctional Facility was presented as a possible backup plan to the two shuttered prisons.

You can read the full story on the Daily News website.