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Close up view, click for larger
New York City Prison Barge, The Vernon C. Bain Center (VCBC), is an 800-bed jail barge that is designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells. It resides on the East River approximately one mile west of SUNY Maritime College. The barge falls under the New York City Department of Corrections and is part of the vast Rikers Island jail complex, the world’s largest penal colony. The prison barge was built in New Orleans for $161 million and brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding on the island’s land-bound buildings. Since the jail is not permanently moored to the shore, Coast Guard regulations require that she have 3 maritime crew on board at all time, including a mate, an engineer and an oiler. With this in mind the blog, admiraltymaritimelaw.blogspot.com posed this question.
If an inmate or an employee is injured on the barge would it fall under admiralty jurisdiction? Believe it or not it appears the question has never been litigated, at least I can’t find it in my search of federal and New York cases.
this sure would seem to have a lot of difficulties attached to it for the fact that it is a floating prison. They must have a lot of exemptions from the coast guard to get them out of the routin drills. It sure would be an interesting job to be aboard though.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by fabricio kc, John Albertine. John Albertine said: What prison requires a 3 maritime crew on board at all time? http://bit.ly/9LRx88 m270 [...]
Tim:
Please get in touch with me re your photos.
Thanks.
rwiringa@gmail.com
Tim,
You really didn’t need to give the inmates any ideas about potential avenues to sue. Remember, all they have is lots of time. Lots of time to do mischief.
The best part about coming home: we were getting off our floating prison and riling up our neighbors as we passed them! Class of '04 OOOooorah.
Some years ago as i remeber 1997. I was in New York loading the Prison Barge Resolution??? on our barge Giant 4. We take her in tow bound for the Portland in the United Kingdom.
If you like to have a picture pls let me know as i can forward this to you
One of my first weeks at Kings Point, we cruised past this barge and then about 500 yards down the river past by a pool barge. I was in disbelief…
what a vessel……big task.