NY: Rikers Island visitors in clothes that are too hot to handle asked to wear neon smocks instead

The not-so-hot XXXL t-Shirts issued by the Department of Corrections to undercovered visitors.


















Rikers Island is trying to turn down the heat by covering up the skanks - and keeping out the shanks.

From now on, female visitors who show up spilling out of their tight tops, miniskirts or ripped jeans will be issued a passion-dampening T-shirt that comes in a hideous shade of neon green and in just one size - XXL.

"These regulations are intended to ensure the safety and well-being of the inmate population, [Correction Department] staff and visitors," department spokeswoman Sharman Stein said.

They're also designed to douse the desire of sex-starved prisoners, some of whom have been caught getting it on with their significant others in large public visit areas that often are filled with kids, sources said.

"It was really gross," said a veteran jail supervisor. "It was really getting out of control."

One lass who wore a short skirt with spandex leggings to visit her beau behind bars said what's gross is having to wear that T-shirt.

"I have to wear what?" the incredulous woman asked when a correction officer trotted out with her T-shirt. "You're just trying to make me look bad in front of my man."

Then, as she reluctantly donned the shirt, she loudly complained about the time she spent fixing her makeup and hair.

"Why'd I even bother?" she asked repeatedly.

In addition to the coverup, the new Rikers dress code, which went into effect in recent weeks, bans all jewelry other than wedding rings.

Same goes for spandex leggings not covered by other clothing - not to mention anything with gang markings.

Jail officials also hope the new T-shirts will help correction officers clamp down on contraband getting into the lockup.

While all of the jail's 1,770 daily visitors - male and female - are searched at least three times before they reach the guest area, drugs and weapons still get smuggled in.

Visitors often can be heard discussing strategies for beating the system while waiting in line to get inside.

Because the coverall T-shirts lack pockets, a smuggler would have to reach under the garment to get whatever is being hidden - and thus, it is hoped, draw the attention of correction officers on the lookout for people wearing neon green.

The city shelled out $5,000 for the 800 not-so-tempting T-shirts, which get laundered daily.

Norman Seabrook, president of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, called the shirts "a waste of money."

Instead of blowing the money on things like neon-green T-shirts, the city should be hiring more correction officers, Seabrook said.

"With the cuts that continue to happen in the agency, we don't have enough manpower to supervise all the inmates," he said.

The number of correction officers has dropped from 10,616 in 2001 to 8,772 this year, the Independent Budget Office says.

With Corky Siemaszko