New Jail Opens in Yaphank

John Mitty Monday, April 1, 2013

A brand new $185 million jail is opening this week in Yaphank in Suffolk County.  The facility will be the largest building erected in Suffolk anytime in the past three decades, and will reduce the overcrowded conditions in Riverhead County Jail.  105 prisoners will be transferred to the new facility on Saturday, and 105 more will move in the week after, and 105 the week after that, until the full capacity is reached (440 prisoners).  Eventually the jail’s size will be doubled, a project which will cost an additional $102 million. 

County Executive Steve Bellone is not a fan of the project, insisting it is too pleasant and too expensive, and that it will only add to the county’s budgeting problems.  Other state officials have argued however that the new jail will save money in the long run, despite the initial cost for construction.  Its design is very efficient and allows a single correctional officer to monitor the activities of up to 60 inmates at a time.  Riverhead’s current conditions are so cramped, and the facility is in such poor shape, that lawsuits are being brought forward stating that the old jail is inhumane and unsanitary.  Improvements to living conditions at the new jail should boost the morale of the jail’s occupants, leading to fewer incidents, which again will ultimately save money. 

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

Appears In: Business News

 

 

• Business News
• Education
• Entertainment
• Jobs & Careers
• Local Events
• Local Steals, Deals & More
• Press Releases
• Restaurants & Food
• Sports & Recreation

Columnists John M.   Show all Columnists