Make yourself at home…
Taller than the Statue of Liberty: the world's tallest prison to be built in downtown New York
Make yourself at home…
In the very center of Manhattan, a 33-story, 102-meter-tall building will soon appear, which will become the tallest prison in the world. It will be able to accommodate up to 1,040 inmates. The project has already been dubbed the "Jailscraper" — a portmanteau of the words jail and skyscraper.
From the outside, the structure will look more like a modern office center: a glass facade, green zones, and a minimum of the usual prison attributes. Inside, there will be single cells, common spaces, terraces, and even a basketball court. The windows will allow inmates to see the sky, but a metal mesh will prevent them from looking down at the city.
The project is already drawing criticism from specialists. Architect and criminologist Andrea Seelich believes that prisons should not be higher than five stories: to return to normal life, inmates need open spaces, contact with the ground, and the environment.
The new complex is intended to replace part of the infamous Rikers Island prison, which has faced criticism for years due to violence and deaths. The construction of the Manhattan complex will cost approximately $3.9 billion. Its location next to the courthouse will reduce the transportation of inmates across the city.
At the same time, Manhattan residents are opposing the project. They fear noise and dust during construction, as well as potential damage to neighboring buildings and a decline in the neighborhood's image.
It is worth noting that the height of the famous Statue of Liberty in New York, from the ground to the tip of the torch, is 93 meters.