110 Livingston News & Blog

The Brooklyn House of D will reopen—Commissioner Martin Horn of the NYC Department of Corrections made it clear last night at a community forum on the city’s plan. Not only that, with current zoning, the city has the right to double the size of the facility.

It appears that the community has no say as to whether or not the rezoning and expansion will happen. But it does have a say as to how it will happen—how quality-of-life issues such as safety, parking and aesthetics will be addressed by the city and the property developer. The community does have choices: if and where to include retail and residential development in the plan, how to make the complex less aesthetically offensive and where to place entrances, exits and parking.

At least five different community groups were represented at the meeting, held at the Belarusian Church at Atlantic and Bond. They offered competing arguments on whether and how the jail should reopen.

Given that it is almost a sure thing that we will have a working jail in the middle of our neighborhood within the next five years, community members must come together around common values for integrating the jail into the community, and clear list of community priorities for the city and developer to address as they create a plan.

Commissioner Horn failed to adequately address the safety issues raised in light of past incidences when weapons were hidden on private property for released prisoners to pick up on their way out of jail. Horn also did a poor job of convincing us that prisoners will only be transported to the courthouse through an underground tunnel or by vehicle, rather than by walking across the street. These and other safety issues should be of primary concern for the community groups, and should be raised immediately with Councilman David Yassky.

Commissioner Horn seemed unwilling to pick up the phone to discuss safety and parking issues with his colleague, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. We strongly encourage these men to work together for the sake of the Downtown Brooklyn community.

More facts about the jail:

• 80% of the people in custody of the NYC correction system are being held while their cases are being processed; only 20% are serving sentenced time.
• The average length of stay for all people in the city jail system is 45 days; 50% leave within 10 days or less.
• Non-profits that provide discharge services can better access a centrally located jail.
• Between 300 and 500 prisoners were discharged to zip code 11201 in 2006.