Rikers is a 400-acre island in the East River across from La Guardia Airport that serves as the principal jail complex for New York City. There are 10 jails on Rikers Island, including facilities for women and adolescents, as well as an infirmary, power plant and bakery.The Correction Department also operates four borough jails in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.ontinue reading the main story. Over the last year, The New York Times has been examining problems at Rikers Island, as well as the deeply troubled agency, the New York City Correction Department, that oversees the jail complex. Here is an explainer to help get you up to speed.