Queens Borough-Based Jail Facility

The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) is working with the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) and the NYC Department of Correction (DOC) to implement the City's plan to build four smaller, safer and fairer borough-based jail facilities and to close the jails on Rikers Island through the Borough-Based Jails (BBJ) Program. 

The Queens Borough-Based Jail Facility will be located at the site of the current Queens Detention Center at 126-02 82nd Avenue in Kew Gardens. will contain 1,040 beds, including 450 beds for all women and gender expansive individuals in New York City’s Department of Correction custody with a dedicated intake, visiting space, and medical facilities for pregnant women and mothers, and will provide 100 accessory parking spaces below grade. The new facility will also have dedicated space for on-site services and programming, indoor and outdoor recreation, food services, staff offices and facilities, amenities, and a secured entry (sally port).

The new Queens Garage, completed in June 2023 as part of the BBJ Program, includes a 25,000sf multi-purpose community space.

The City makes every effort to keep New Yorkers informed about our construction projects and any possible disruptions they may cause, and the Borough-Based Jails (BBJ) Program is no exception. We encourage everyone to keep up to date with the progress of each individual borough-based jail site using the documents and reports that are posted regularly. 

Looking for past updates? Visit our archive of older BBJ Program documents.