Kew Gardens jail to remain just movie location

The Queens Courier has learned that published reports claiming that the old Queens House of Detention in Kew Gardens would be reopened are incorrect.
According to accounts in the media, the jail, located at 126-02 82nd Avenue, would be put into use again to house up to 400 inmates in an effort to reduce overcrowding at Rikers Island.
Thomas Antenen, Records Access Officer at the Department of Correction, has said that there are no plans to reopen the facility.
“Queens already has one jail —Rikers Island,” said Antenen. “The reports [regarding the Queens House of Detention] are a mistake.”
Antenen went on to say that Rikers Island is operating at 95 percent capacity with approximately 12,000 inmates, and that when that number reaches 15,000, some prisoners will be moved to the Brooklyn House of Detention at Atlantic Avenue and Boerum Place.
Currently, the Queens House of Detention is home to administrative offices and is used for filming movies and television shows as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s initiative to bring films back into the city.
“It’s used a lot when they need a jail cell or large office [to depict] a squad room,” said Antenen. “The requests are almost non-stop. In fact, there will be filming [on site] later this month.”