Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center

About

The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center (VCBC; also known as the Vernon C. Bain Maritime Facility and nicknamed "The Boat") 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, and brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding in the island's land-bound buildings for a lower price. 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 jail barge that the New York Department of Corrections has used. In its history, the jail has served traditional and juvenile inmates, and in later years was a holding and temporary processing center. The added security of the jail 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 jail barge was named the world's largest prison barge in operation by Guinness World Records. The barge was decommissioned in November 2023 and was brought to Louisiana in November 2025 for scrapping.