Kings County Jail and Prison Communication Guide

Kings County — the borough of Brooklyn — is part of the New York City jail and correctional system rather than operating its own separate county jail. People detained in Brooklyn are typically held at Rikers Island, which is the main New York City jail complex, or at the Brooklyn Detention Complex on Atlantic Avenue. The Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn is a federal facility that holds pretrial and sentenced inmates under Bureau of Prisons jurisdiction. Each of these facilities operates under a different system with different providers and different communication rules, which makes it essential to know exactly which facility is involved before setting up an account.

New York City jails, including those housing people from Brooklyn, have historically used GTL for phone services and video visitation. The NYC Department of Correction manages the overall system, and communication access operates under city-level contracts rather than individual facility contracts. People held at Rikers Island or the Brooklyn Detention Complex are part of the NYC DOC system. The Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, by contrast, is entirely separate — it is a federal facility where inmates communicate through CorrLinks under Bureau of Prisons guidelines, and phone calls are handled through different federal contracted providers.

This directory provides communication information for Kings County and Brooklyn-area correctional facilities so families can navigate the right system without unnecessary confusion. Whether you are trying to reach someone at Rikers Island through the NYC DOC system, set up messaging at the Brooklyn Detention Complex, or contact a loved one at the federal facility on 29th Street, this guide helps you identify the correct provider and process without having to search through multiple agency websites.