Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center

Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center

The jail barge seen from the East River
Location	Hunts Point, Bronx, New York
Coordinates	40°48′5″N 73°52′38″W / 40.80139°N 73.87722°W / 40.80139; -73.87722
Status	Closed
Security class	intake and processing
Capacity	870
Opened	1992 (1992)
Closed	2023
Managed by	New York City Department of Corrections
Warden	Linda Griffin[1]
Street address	1 Halleck Street
City	New York City
State/province	New York
ZIP Code	10474
Country	United States

The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center (VCBC; also known as the Vernon C. Bain Maritime Facility^[2] and nicknamed "The Boat"^[3]) was an 800-bed jail barge used to hold inmates for the New York City Department of Corrections. The barge was anchored off the Bronx's southern shore, across from Rikers Island, near Hunts Point. It was built for $161 million at Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana, along the Mississippi River near New Orleans,^[4] and brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding in the island's land-bound buildings for a lower price.^[5] Nicknamed "The Boat" by prison staff and inmates,^[6] it was designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells.

The Vernon C. Bain Center was the third prison barge that the New York Department of Corrections has used. In its history, the prison has served traditional inmates, juvenile inmates and is currently used as a holding and temporary processing center. The added security of the prison being on water has prevented at least four attempted escapes. The barge was named in memorial for warden Vernon C. Bain, who died in an automobile accident. In 2014, the prison barge was named the world's largest prison barge in operation by Guinness World Records.^[7] The barge was decommissioned in November 2023.