Thompson Sues But Unions Back Brooklyn Jail Revival; Shifting Inmates From Rikers

Union leaders are supporting the Correction Department's decision to move prisoners back into the Brooklyn House of Detention despite community opposition and a lawsuit brought by elected officials, including City Comptroller William C. Thompson.

WILLIAM C. THOMPSON Jr.: Wants 'House' foreclosed.

According to the Correction Department, 31 inmates were moved to the Brooklyn House Nov. 16 to help paint jail cells that will be used when the Brooklyn Criminal Court holding pens are renovated as part of a $19-million project down the hall from the prison. This project will precede the $440-million addition to the Brooklyn House of Detention that currently does not have a start date planned.

CCA: May Just Shift Staff

The correction unions supported the move, even as they acknowledged that it would not mean overall staff increases in the department. "I wouldn't say it's any type of indicator," said Correction Captains Association First Vice President Patrick Ferraiuolo. "As quick as they open the Brooklyn House, there is talk of closing parts of Rikers Island. They may just be shifting staff."

PATRICK FERRAIUOLO: Captains support shift.

The department is in the midst of a restructuring and downsizing by eliminating 4,000 beds at Rikers Island, even as 3,000 cells are opened in Brooklyn and The Bronx. The changes at Rikers Island will move prisoners out of temporary facilities that have been used for more than 30 years. A new 1,500-cell men's prison will be built in Hunts Point in the Bronx, and a 720-bed addition will be made to the Brooklyn House to bring its headcount to 1,500, according to the Correction Department.

"The city needs jails, and many of the jails that we have are deteriorating to the point that they will no longer be usable," Correction Commissioner Martin F. Horn wrote in June to Brooklyn Councilman David Yassky, who is one of the plaintiffs in the Comptroller's lawsuit. "Just this week, our engineers informed me that the conditions in two wooden modular structures on Rikers Island had become unsafe, and I ordered that those 200 beds be permanently closed." The department could absorb those losses but not the expected need to eliminate 3,300 beds.

MARTIN F. HORN: Have to put inmates somewhere.

Staffing Captains' Key Concern

Mr. Ferraiuolo said his Captains were happy about the opening because some live in Brooklyn and it will mean a shorter commute. "Any time they open a facility, our issue is security, and we want to be assured that they put the right amount of staff, the right amount of Captains," he said, adding that he believed the facility would house six Captains, 40 Correction Officers and one Assistant Deputy Warden.

Assistant Deputy Warden/Deputy Warden Association President Sidney Schwartzbaum was also pleased the department was looking to re-open the Brooklyn jail. "Brooklyn House of Detention is one of the most secure prisons in our system," he said. "The alternative of closing down the Brooklyn House would create a serious security problem. They would have to transport prisoners on the street in daisy chains."

Safety was also on the mind of Correction Officers Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook, who said, "The department should move forward with its plan to restore the Brooklyn House of Detention to full utilization by taking into account all safety and security issues for Correction Officers and other uniformed personnel. The jail has been in existence for 50 years, and with its recent renovations we have every reason to believe that it's ready to accommodate the department's needs."

'Don't Need It, Can't Afford It'

Mr. Thompson held a rally at the steps of the Brooklyn jail facility Nov. 18 to announce the lawsuit seeking to prevent the capital expansion of the prison. "At a moment of financial crisis, this city is purposely leaving the public out of a decision to build a jail we don't need at a time that we can't afford it," Mr. Thompson said. "We are confident that the courts will recognize this unacceptable breach of the public trust, and move to prevent this $440-million boondoggle from moving forward."

Mr. Horn did not comment on the lawsuit, but he has been corresponding with Mr. Thompson on the issue, including a May letter in which he stated that use of the Brooklyn jail would address shortcomings of the correction system, "primarily the time and cost difficulties getting there for family and attorney visits, the safety risks, inefficiencies and cost of transporting 1,500 inmates to court, and the isolation and stigmatization that result from locating defendants on an island far from the communities in which they live."