Rikers Island

Rikers Island is a 413-acre (167.14-hectare) prison island in the East River in the Bronx, New York City, United States, that contains New York City’s largest jail. It is named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664. The island was originally under 100 acres (40 ha) in size, but has since grown to more than 400 acres (160 ha). The first stages of expansion were accomplished largely by convict labor hauling in ashes for landfill. The island is politically part of the Bronx, with a controlled-access bridge carrying the MTA Q100 and general traffic to and from Queens. It is part of Queens Community Board 1 and uses an East Elmhurst, Queens, ZIP Code of 11370 for mail.