New York City's Borough-Based Jail Program: Four New Jails to Replace Rikers Island

Key facts

• The NYC Borough-Based Jail Program (BBJ) began in 2017 and is overseen by the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC).
• Four jails are being built in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx to replace the Rikers Island jail complex.
• The Brooklyn jail, designed by HOK, is the furthest along and is set to open in 2029; the other three are expected in the early 2030s.
• The Manhattan Detention Facility at 125 White Street in Chinatown, designed by HOK, will be the tallest jail in the world when completed.
• The Bronx Borough-Based Jail Facility in Mott Haven, designed by CetraRuddy, Lumen Architects, and Urbahn Architects, will have 40,000 square feet of community and commercial space.
• The Queens Borough-Based Jail Facility in Kew Gardens, designed by STV and Michael Graves, is the only BBJ with beds for women and gender expansive inmates.
• New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani called Rikers Island one of the "deepest failures of our city government" and said the city is "replacing a system built around neglect with one centred on rehabilitation".
• The AIA New York issued a statement in 2020 urging studios to "move away" from the design of prisons, jails, and other detention centres.