Status: Active

Location: Rikers Island, East Elmhurt, New York

Address: There are multiple addresses, because there are ten correctional facilities on the island. 

Anna M. Kross Center (AMKC)
18-18 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC) Formerly known as CIFM
10-10 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

George Motchan Detention Center (GMDC)
15-15 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

George R. Vierno Center (GRVC)
09-09 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

James A. Thomas Center (JATC) - Not Active
14-14 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

North Infirmary Command (NIC)
15-00 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Otis Bantum Correctional Center (OBCC)
16-00 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Robert N. Davoren Complex (RNDC)
11-11 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Rose M. Singer Center (RMSC)
19-19 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

West Facility (WF)
16-06 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Mailing Address:          

The mailing address for each facility is the same as the physical address.  You must specify the particular facility, not just “Rikers Island.” 

Inmate Mailing Address:    

Inmate’s Full Name
Inmate’s Book and Case Number
Full name of the Facility
Address of the Facility

Example:                    

John Smith     
Book Number 55555, Case Number 55555
West Facility
16-06 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Phone Number: The City of New York Department of Corrections maintains a centralized phone system for inmate information; for General DOC and inmate inquiries you can call 718-546-1500 from 7:30am to 5:30pm; you can call 311 for jail information 24/7; and for inmate medical emergencies you can call 347-774-7000 24/7; inmates cannot receive phone calls but if an inmate receives an emergency phone call the inmate will be notified of the call and permitted to return the call.

Fax Number:  Inmates cannot receive faxes

Warden: Joseph Ponte, Commissioner of the Department of Corrections oversees all jails in the DOC  

Offender Gender: male and female - designated faciltiies

Security Level: Pretrial confinement; all security levels with offenders who have not been classified.   Post-conviction confinement is for inmates who have been convicted misdemeanor or low-level felony offenses and have received a sentence of up to one year in jail. 

Distinguishing Feature:  Rikers Island is an entire island dedicated to corrections.  It has 10 separate jail facilities and several other buildings dedicated to running the island as a detention facility including: a bakery; a central laundry facility; a tailor shop; a print shop; a maintenance division; a transportation division; a K-9 unit; and a power plant. 

Number of Inmates: The island has a varying population; the average inmate population is around 10,000 people/day, but the island can hold up to 15,000 inmates

Employees:  The Rikers Island complex employs more than 10,500 people; 9,000 correction officer employees and 1,500 civilian employees.    

Collectively referred to as Rikers Island because they are all located on the actual island known as Rikers Island, the Rikers Island correctional complex is actually composed of multiple facilities: the Anna M. Kross Center (AMKC); the Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC); the George Motchan Detention Center (GMDC); the James A. Thomas Center (JATC); the North Infirmary Command (NIC); the Otis Bantum Correctional Center (OBCC); the Robert N. Davoren Complex (RNDC); the Rose M. Singer Center (RMSC); and the West Facility (WC). 

Almost all inmates in the City of New York Department of Corrections are housed in one of the jails on Rikers Island.  There are seven jails for adult male pre-trial detainees; a jail for sentenced male inmates; a jail for female inmates and detainees; and a detention center for adolescent males aged 16 to 18. 

Living conditions on Rikers Island may depend on the particular facility in which an inmate is incarcerated.  However, Rikers Island has a history of troubling living conditions including inmate abuse; officers involved in intimidation schemes using inmates as muscle; sexual assaults; and medical neglect.  While there have been independent investigations verifying some of these allegations, there have not been a meaningful number of prosecutions of offenders.  However, some inmates who have suffered abuse have found success pursuing offending guards through the civil court system.

Most of the inmates at Rikers Island facilities are pre-trial detainees, therefore they do not have access to many prison programs.  The inmate handbook can provide more in-depth detail as to the programs that may be available for prisoners at specific facilities.

Rikers Island is not associated with any production, but inmates are responsible for providing services for the jail facilities located on the island.

Rikers Island began as a military training location in the Civil War, then the City of New York purchased it for use as a work house in 1883.  Since that time, it has become the primary correctional facility location for the City of New York.

There have been a number of nationally known inmates who have spent time at Rikers Island, including: David Berkowitz (Son of Sam); Joe Halderman; DMX; Sonny Rollins; Lil Wayne; Sid Vicious; Tupac Shakur; and Mark David Chapman.