Search West Facility Custody

West Facility Jail Role

West Facility is operated by the New York City Department of Correction. Official DOC facility material identifies it as a city jail building at 16-06 Hazen Street in East Elmhurst and describes it as a specialized housing location with single-cell units, including units tied to DOC’s Communicable Disease Unit and other separated detainee housing. It serves people who are already in DOC custody, including Queens County defendants committed after arraignment.

The official facility overview says West Facility opened in fall 1991. It was built from sprungs, meaning rigid aluminum-framed structures covered by heavy-duty plastic fabric. That history matters because West Facility is not simply another general-purpose jail address. A person may be sent there because of disease-control housing, separation needs, or another classification decision. No official public capacity number for West Facility or current building-level population table was identified.

West Facility Inmate Lookup

Use the NYC DOC P.I.C. Lookup to search for a person who may be housed at West Facility. The official DOC lookup is built for current DOC custody. NYC311 states that a record may show charges, court date and location, Book and Case Number, NYSID, jail mailing address, holding location, release date, and bail or bond amount. The holding location is the key field for West Facility, because a Queens County arrest can lead to several Rikers buildings or to a hospital ward.

If the person was arrested very recently, the record may not yet appear. Research from NYC311 says an arrest within the past 72 hours may still be in police custody. DOC VINE material also says 48 hours or more may pass between arrest, housing by DOC, and entry into the Person in Custody Information System. If the person has been sentenced to state prison, search DOCCS instead.

1. Start with NYSID or Book and Case Number when those identifiers are available.
2. Use first and last name if no identifier is known, then compare any possible matches carefully.
3. Read the holding location. West Facility may appear as WF or through a DOC location label.
4. Use the listed Book and Case Number for mail, deposits, bail questions, or FOIL record details.

West Facility Address and Phone

West Facility contact is routed through DOC city contacts. Use 311 for general city contact and the Office of Constituent and Grievance Services for complaints, letters of incarceration, and grievance issues. For a medical emergency involving a person in custody, Correctional Health Services uses a separate emergency number. Because West Facility includes communicable-disease and separated housing, callers should use official channels and the person’s Book and Case Number when available.

DOC headquarters and FOIL routing are separate from the West Facility address. DOC FOIL requests go through NYC OpenRecords or the Records Access Officer at the Legal Division address in East Elmhurst. Medical records are not maintained by DOC and are routed to Correctional Health Services Medical Records.

West Facility Visiting Rules

Visits at West Facility follow the NYC DOC citywide schedule unless DOC limits a particular housing area, medical status, or safety classification. DOC lists in-person visits on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, with registration windows that must be met. Visitors age 16 and older need valid current photo and signature ID. Visitors can be searched, including passive canine searches at Rikers visitor entry points.

Family and friend televisit requests are available through DOC, but device availability and demand can limit scheduling. Attorney video teleconferencing uses Microsoft Teams on weekdays under DOC scheduling rules. Confirm the current status before travel, especially when the custody location involves medical or separation concerns.

West Facility Mail and Deposits

Mail for West Facility must include the person’s full name, Book and Case Number, and the full facility name and address. DOC’s package rules say packages are searched, toiletries and food are prohibited, and clothing is limited by restrictions on pockets, hoods, belts, logos, strings, metal, and buttons. Items DOC already provides are generally not accepted.

Cash is no longer accepted by mail for person-in-custody fund accounts. Mail deposits must be bank checks or money orders payable to the person in custody and include the Book and Case Number. DOC does not accept personal checks or certified checks by mail.

West Facility Booking and Classification

West Facility is a housing assignment after DOC custody begins, not the first public point in every Queens arrest. A person arrested in Queens may remain in police custody, appear in Queens Criminal Court, be released, post bail, or be committed to DOC. If committed, DOC intake uses identifiers such as NYSID and Book and Case Number, performs property and screening steps, and assigns housing based on classification factors.

Because West Facility includes single-cell and communicable-disease housing, the public should avoid reading the location label as a final medical or disciplinary finding. The lookup is a current housing marker. It does not publish a full medical record and does not replace direct medical emergency routing through Correctional Health Services. For court status, use court records and the Queens docket information shown in DOC or court systems.

Classification

DOC’s housing decision process based on custody, safety, medical, and population factors.

Detainer

A hold or notice from another agency, such as another jurisdiction, parole, federal custody, or ICE.

FOIL

New York’s Freedom of Information Law process for requesting agency records, including some DOC records.

West Facility Custody Limits

No official current capacity or daily population for West Facility was identified. NYC jail population is reported citywide, with Queens County defendants held in the same DOC system as defendants from other boroughs. Official FY2025 data lists NYC DOC average daily population as 6,823, while the Comptroller dashboard listed 6,805 people in citywide jail custody on March 2, 2026. Those numbers are not West Facility-only counts.

West Facility records also stop at DOC custody. A person in New York State prison is searched through DOCCS, not NYC DOC. A sentenced federal prisoner uses BOP, a federal pretrial detainee may require the U.S. Marshals Service, and immigration custody uses ICE. For release alerts from DOC custody, NYC VINE is available at 888-846-3469, but city VINE does not cover police lockups, state prisons, federal facilities, or juvenile detention.