The last floating prison in America was located in New York. Did you even know that there was a floating prison barge in New York?. The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center was a floating prison barge. It was a medium- to maximum-security prison facility that had 800 beds in 16 dormitories and 100 cells. New York City Department of Corrections introduced “The Boat,” as it was nicknamed, in 1992. It was supposed to help reduce overcrowding in Rikers Island. The Boat cost $161 million to build.