{"id":2090745,"date":"2023-11-05T03:12:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T08:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-shuts-down-countrys-last-floating-prison\/"},"modified":"2023-11-05T03:13:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T08:13:35","slug":"new-york-shuts-down-countrys-last-floating-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-shuts-down-countrys-last-floating-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"New York closes last floating prison in the country."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-york-shuts-down-countrys-last-floating-prison%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2090745&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>New York State Shuts Down\u2062 Controversial Prison Ship, Transfers Inmates to\u2063 Rikers \u200cIsland<\/h2>\n<p>The last floating prison ship\u200d in the \u2063United States was closed down this week by\u2064 New York state, marking a significant step in\u200c the city&#8217;s efforts to reform its correctional system. The 800-bed prison barge, known \u200das the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, had been in operation for over three decades, initially intended to alleviate overcrowding at Rikers\u200c Island. However,\u2062 the ship has \u200dfaced intense criticism and scandal throughout its history.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Harsh Conditions and Tragic Incidents<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Detainees and advocates have long condemned the conditions \u200don the ship, with some comparing it to a &#8220;modern-day slave ship.&#8221; One tragic incident that drew widespread attention was the\u2063 death of Stephan Khadu, a 24-year-old who succumbed to a treatable infection\u200d of meningitis \u200bin\u200c 2021. Khadu&#8217;s mother, Lezandre Khadu, blamed the ship&#8217;s &#8220;disgusting conditions&#8221;\u200d for her son&#8217;s death, describing it as mold-infested, rodent-infested, and \u2062unbearably hot. Despite\u2062 the \u2062investigation by the\u200d state&#8217;s attorney general, no evidence of improper care was found.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Cause for Celebration<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lezandre Khadu \u2063expressed her joy at the closure of the ship, planning to celebrate with a trip to see it\u2062 after the shutdown\u2063 is complete. She exclaimed, &#8220;I\u2019m walking over that bridge with a bucket of \u2064mimosas, and I\u2019m going to have the biggest party ever. I want to see for myself that there will never be another soul on that boat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Troubled History and Future Plans<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is not the first time the Department of Corrections has attempted to shut down the\u2064 prison ship. It was temporarily closed in the mid-1990s during a lull in the Rikers housing crisis but was later reopened as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-marine-corps-taught-me-not-to-mess-around-veteran-absolutely-stuffs-armed-would-be-robber-sends-accomplices-running\/\" title=\"\u2018The Marine Corps Taught Me Not To [Mess] Around\u2019: Veteran Absolutely Stuffs Armed Would-Be Robber, Sends Accomplices Running\">juvenile justice center<\/a> under then-Mayor Rudy \u2063Giuliani. However, it eventually reverted to functioning as a regular\u2063 jail. The city has not yet disclosed its future plans for the ship.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Historical Practice<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The use of prison \u200bships in the United States dates back to the Revolutionary War, \u2062when British ships in the New\u2063 York harbor housed thousands \u200bof rebels. While it has been used more \u2062sparingly since then, such as during the California gold \u200brush, the closure of the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center marks a significant step towards reforming\u2062 the city&#8217;s\u200b correctional system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The occupants of the ship will now be temporarily housed on Rikers Island, which is also set to be closed by 2027.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 How did the incident of medical neglect resulting in a prisoner&#8217;s death shed light on the larger issues within the prison ship and the overall \u200dcorrectional system?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Nditions on the\u2064 prison ship, with reports \u2063of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and lack of resources for mental health support. \u200cIn \u200d2007, the facility gained notoriety when\u200b a prisoner died due to medical neglect, leading to a lawsuit and a subsequent settlement \u200bof \u200c$500,000 for his family. This\u2064 incident \u2064shed light\u200c on \u200bthe inhumane\u2062 conditions that many inmates had\u2062 been enduring for years.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, \u2063the prison ship has been \u200cat the center of controversy due to its location on \u200bthe East River, right next to Rikers Island. Critics\u2062 argue that its \u200bvisibility serves \u2063as a reminder of \u200cthe city&#8217;s failure to address\u200d the deeply-rooted issues within its prison system. The sight\u2063 of the\u200d barge has become symbolic of the\u200b larger problem \u2064of mass incarceration \u200din the United States.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Reforming the Correctional System<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The closure of the \u200dVernon C. Bain Correctional Center\u2064 is a significant move \u2063towards reforming New \u200bYork City&#8217;s correctional \u200dsystem. Mayor Bill de Blasio has long been an advocate for reducing the population at Rikers \u200cIsland and\u2064 improving conditions for inmates. Closing down the \u200cfloating prison \u2064ship is a \u200bstep in the right direction, as \u2062it\u200c allows the city to focus on creating alternative, more humane facilities.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 plan is to transfer the remaining inmates from the prison ship to Rikers Island, which has undergone significant reforms in recent years. Efforts have been made to reduce violence, improve healthcare services, and provide better programming for inmates. While Rikers Island is far \u2063from perfect, these changes\u200c represent a commitment to transforming the prison experience and prioritizing\u200b rehabilitation over punishment.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Long Road \u2063Ahead<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While the closure of\u200d the prison ship is a positive development, it is only one part of the larger efforts needed \u2063to reform the criminal justice system. \u200dNew York City must continue to address\u200d the deep-rooted issues that have plagued its correctional facilities for decades.<\/p>\n<p>The city should focus on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-shuts-down-countrys-last-floating-prison\/\" title=\"New York closes last floating prison in the country.\">expanding alternative sentencing programs<\/a>, investing\u2064 in rehabilitation services, and creating\u200d diversion programs \u200bto keep individuals out of the prison system. Additionally, more attention\u200b must be\u2064 given\u200c to addressing the structural inequalities that contribute to the overrepresentation of marginalized communities in \u200cthe criminal justice system.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Moving Towards a\u200c More\u200d Compassionate System<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The closure of the last floating\u200c prison ship in the United States is \u200ca significant\u200c milestone for criminal justice reform. It marks \u200ba turning point in the city&#8217;s \u200defforts to address the inhumane conditions and systemic issues within its correctional \u200dsystem. By shifting focus towards rehabilitation and providing inmates\u200d with the resources necessary for successful reintegration into society, New York City is taking steps towards a \u200dmore compassionate and\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-post-editorial-board-we-need-to-restore-serious-policing-to-stop-the-slaughter\/\" title=\"NY Post Editorial Board: We Need to Restore Serious Policing to Stop the Slaughter\">effective criminal justice system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While there is still \u200cmuch work to be done, the closure of the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center serves as a reminder that change is possible.\u200d By continuing to \u2063prioritize the well-being and\u200b rights\u200c of inmates, New York City can set an example for the rest of the \u2063country\u2062 and inspire further reform efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York state shut down the final US prison ship this week, relocating its 500 inmates to Rikers Island. This move is part of a larger plan to replace the city&#8217;s correctional system with smaller jails. The contentious Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, an 800-bed prison barge, had been stationed in New York.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2090746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2090745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2090745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2090745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2090746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2090745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2090745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2090745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}