Temporary Structure Used to Alleviate Overcrowding

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A new $2 million temporary facility at that Yaphank Jail has earned the nickname “circus tent” among Suffolk County sheriff personnel. The facility, a 180-by-60 foot structure manufactured by Sprung, was erected to help alleviated overcrowding at the facility.

The structure is about 40 feet high at its center and the outer walls are lined with a tan-colored membrane. A chain-link fence and razor wire line the inside of the facility. The temporary housing unit was put in place to hold inmates until a new county jail is planned and built over the next several years.

The temporary housing unit will allow the county to stop sending excess inmates to be housed at other facilities. About 140 Suffolk inmates were held at Rikers Island jail in New York City for $125 a night.

The temporary facility will also mark the first time inmates in Suffolk County will be monitored under direct supervision.