Rikers Island workers build makeshift lounge with leather sofas, big-screen TV and a mini fridge inside abandoned jail where they stashed hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment
Prison staff gathered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and built a makeshift lounge in an abandoned jail on Rikers Island, a city investigation found.
New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) staff had stashed $100,000 in tools, $450,000 in air filters, 17 snow blowers, and $230,000 in lockers at the James A. Thomas Center (JATC).
“These items had not been properly stored, with many ruined by exposure to moisture, heat and vermin,” a December 2021 report said, according to NY daily news
‘Some had been in use for so long that they were outdated. The overall result was a huge waste,’
The Department of Investigation (DOI) found the items in November 2020 after receiving a tip the month before in the makeshift employee lounge with a 70-inch TV, mini-fridge, two large leather couches and a bathroom.
The James A. Thomas Center on Rikers Island (pictured) was condemned in 2015 “due to the age and disrepair of the facility” and asbestos contamination
Department of Corrections staff didn’t stop themselves from turning part of the abandoned prison into a makeshift employee lounge
Investigators found a spinning wheel in the lounge with photos of DOC employees on it
DOI said the lounges’ creators, who they believe are maintenance workers, used DOC-purchased lumber, floor tiles, plumbing and electrical equipment to build the space.
The equipment was used to raise the floor, install heating and cooling, and access existing electrical and plumbing lines.
In 2015, DOC condemned the building because “DOC had concerns about lead and asbestos contamination due to the age and disrepair of the facility, including peeling paint,” the report said.
During the investigation, the former DOC deputy commissioner told investigators that they were aware of materials stored at JATC in lockers purchased in 2017 to “boost morale.”
Documents show that DOC submitted more than $19 million in purchase requests from 2016 through 2020, and the investigation found that nearly all of the purchased items were stored in the condemned building.
DOI documented more than 1,729 boxed and 5,794 loose materials. There were 339 unused lockers in the main hallway of the JATC, which were packed in boxes or wrapped on pallets.
DOI documented more than 1,729 boxed and 5,794 loose materials stored in lockers. DOC submitted more than $19 million in purchase requests from 2016 through 2020, most of which was stored in the condemned building
The makeshift employee lounge consisted of a 70-inch TV, a mini-fridge, two large leather couches, and a functioning bathroom
They found $100,000 in tools, $450,000 in air filters, 17 snow blowers and $230,000 in lockers
In one area they discovered boxes containing waterproof pads, plastic bins, plastic dish pans, wool blankets, polyguard mattresses and toilet paper.
The DOC said, “The department has installed new leadership for facilities management and restructured the division to ensure accurate tracking and inventory of all facilities equipment.”
Rikers Island has received increasing calls to close over the years due to inmates’ living conditions and staff shortages.
The New York Times reported that eight inmates have died in the prison system so far in 2023.
In 2022, 19 people died in the prison complex, the deadliest year in a decade.