Locate Otis Bantum Correctional Center Inmates

Otis Bantum Correctional Center Overview

Otis Bantum Correctional Center is listed by NYC DOC at 16-00 Hazen Street in East Elmhurst. The research describes OBCC as a city jail command on Rikers Island with dormitory and cell housing. DOC says it houses male adults. For New York County, this means the facility may appear in the lookup for a Manhattan defendant when DOC's classification and housing process assigns the person to OBCC.

OBCC opened in June 1985 and was completed in less than 15 months using modern design and construction methods, according to the research summary of DOC's facility history. It was named for its second warden, Otis Bantum. The facility's history and scale distinguish it from hospital custody units such as Bellevue and from specialized commands such as North Infirmary Command.

Otis Bantum Center Population

The official DOC facility overview reviewed for this project did not publish an OBCC rated capacity. The Board of Correction July 2024 public meeting minutes reported 1,456 people at OBCC on July 17, 2024. That census point is close to the EMTC count from the same meeting, showing OBCC's role as a large Rikers housing command, but it is not a live count.

The daily OBCC population can change with admissions, discharge timing, court orders, housing restrictions, and transfers between commands. To verify whether a specific person is there today, rely on the DOC lookup. To understand citywide pressure on Rikers, use Board of Correction and Comptroller population materials.

Otis Bantum Inmate Search

Use the NYC DOC Person in Custody Lookup for OBCC. The lookup can search by NYSID, book-and-case number, or name. The result can show holding location, court date and location, charges, NYSID, jail mailing address, release date, and bail or bond amount. It is the official local custody tool for DOC, not a commercial jail roster.

1. Search by NYSID or book-and-case number when available.
2. Search by first and last name if no identifier is known.
3. Confirm that the holding location is Otis Bantum Correctional Center.
4. Use the displayed book-and-case number for mail, money, and records follow-up.

If no DOC record appears, the person may be in police processing, released from DOC custody, transferred to DOCCS after sentencing, held federally, or in ICE custody. A New York County court case may still appear in WebCrims if it has a future criminal court date.

The DOC lookup is also the safest way to avoid mixing up similarly named people. Name-only searches can return more than one possible match, while NYSID and book-and-case number are more precise. When in doubt, compare court location, age or date-of-birth prompts, and custody status before sending funds.

Otis Bantum Center Contact

The public general contact number is DOC OCGS at 718-546-1500. The research notes that older public contact lists gave an OBCC number, but the official facility page did not publish a current facility-specific public line. Use the DOC lookup and general DOC channels first for custody records, and use CHS for urgent medical concerns involving a person in custody.

Otis Bantum Center Visits

OBCC uses the Rikers Island DOC visit framework unless DOC posts a more specific restriction or schedule. The current visit schedule in the research says visits are available Wednesday through Sunday, with no visits on Monday or Tuesday. The monthly calendar is based on the first letter of the person's last name, so visitors must check the current month.

DOC says all visits are one hour and visitors outside registration hours are not eligible. Bring valid identification and allow time for Rikers screening and transport procedures.

Otis Bantum Mail and Money

Mail and money rules follow the DOC system. Use the jail mailing address shown on the DOC lookup profile because housing locations can change. The book-and-case number should be included with mail and money deposits. Packages may be mailed or delivered when permitted, subject to DOC size and weight limits.

Otis Bantum Custody Context

OBCC is a general Rikers facility serving people from all boroughs, including New York County. A person may enter DOC custody after arraignment, bail or remand decisions, medical and mental health screening, and classification. OBCC housing does not by itself show final charges or conviction status; the court record and prosecutor decisions remain separate from the jail record.

DOC's broader service materials describe education, trauma-informed care, substance misuse services, workforce programs, and transition planning across the city jail system. Oversight sources such as the Board of Correction and Comptroller dashboard should be used for population, deaths, staffing, violence, and service-delivery context. They are better sources than unsourced claims about facility conditions.

When a family needs paperwork rather than current location, DOC FOIL and NYC OpenRecords are the better route. The research states that requests should describe the record with enough detail for DOC to identify it. Sealed records, third-party releases, and medical records each have separate requirements, so a public roster result should not be treated as the complete record file.