Sociotechnical Systems for High Rise Detention

2019

American Prison Architecture: A Lack of Consideration, Priority, and Effectiveness In the United States, we have been placing people convicted of crime in prisons since the end of the 18th century. The general rule in this nation, as presented by the federal government, has been abide by our rules, and we won't bother you; disobey our rules, and we punish you. For a while many Americans confided that the "punish" meant "in hopes of making you better suit for society", and that therefore the role that prisons played was a rehabilitative one, but given the state at which our prisons are designed and maintained in, this "punish for the better" follows a "scared straight" ideology that just does not work. This flawed belief is visible in many aspects of society, be that in legislation, the old "Scared Straight" trips elementary students used to take in the 20th century, or the architectural design of the prisons themselves. The problem with this approach is that it is ineffective, as crime rates still are at a high, and the approach to prison architecture, as a means of psychological torture, is ineffective as recidivism rates are still on the rise. If the prison system wants to make any real progress in decreasing recidivism rates and having a positive effect on the people subject to its environment, a serious analysis of prison architecture and its shortcomings must be conducted, and revisions to the prison design model are to be carried out in order to rework the psychological impact these structures have on the human mind once inside.

The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Design, 2023

The book chapter is a critical review of contemporary architectural practice in custodial design, using the concept of critical prison design as its cornerstone. The text is organised in three main sections. The first section presents the intrinsically problematic nature of prison design and relates it to the reference literature. The second section spells out the implications of addressing prison design critically. Finally, the third section provides insight on seven case studies, which, to a greater or lesser degree, successfully address critical prison design. From our point of view, engaging in critical prison design implies addressing three fundamental concerns. First, it entails actively pursuing the visibility of current and visionary penitentiary realities through incorporating prison design into general design discourses. Second, it means using design to generate significant improvements in the living conditions of inmates, workers, and visitors. Third, it involves problematising confinement and actively working towards decarceration. This last concern lends itself to two avenues of design-based research: innovative and experimental design proposals to challenge dominant views on detention; and a push for the adaptive reuse of existing custodial facilities, suggesting socially desirable uses for the prison’s heterotopic qualities. The chapter’s fundamental aim is to present the possibilities (and limitations) of architectural design as a critical practice, while actively contributing to a progressive debate on custodial spaces, institutions and practices.

Advancing Corrections, 2016

This paper examines the relationship between physical design and risk within modern correctional practice. It seeks to identify the potential risks and paradoxes of the current emphasis on considering correctional design primarily as a means of reducing security risks. We suggest that innovation in correctional design is required that embeds meanings that both support the goals of security risk management, but also the goals of reducing reoffending risk and promoting desistance. Drawing on a case study of the design and evaluation of a correctional education facility, we contend that innovative correctional design more broadly can be a stronger force for managing risk to promote desistance in corrections.

EURAU18 alicante RETROACTIVE RESEARCH CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS, 2018

In recent years, Architecture has returned to take an interest in penitentiary structures, rediscovering its civil and educational role. Prisons represent a device of forced detention, preventing prisoners to move away freely from the spaces of imprisonment. Detention models develop from a control idea through which the State exercises its power. Space is the manifestation of that power. As these buildings serve as control, society "excludes" such infrastructures from inhabited centers, stripping them of their function of public service. Architecture can provide a different view of detention, suggesting a new way of living such spaces and offering ideas for legislative instruments to the State. Similarly, designers should communicate with the users of prisons in order to better their lives, playing a pedagogical role towards the inmates. The paper summarizes these issues, starting from the researches carried out by the Department of Architecture of the University of Naples Federico II. The aim of this study is to define a method to design an inclusive prison, by using an exemplary project: the new prison for Nola, Italy. In this case, attention shifts from the typological definition of space to the action each person performs within it. The space is shaped from the measure of the gestures of man, determining a prison able to build positive relationships within people and its surroundings, serving society and the context in which it is located.

Energy Research & Social Science

Correctional facilities are some of the most energy intensive buildings and therefore offer a great opportunity for savings from high performance design. We ask the question, can integrative design positively affect building energy consumption, function, safety, and occupant well-being in a corrections building? From 2011-2015, we utilized mixed methods including: document analysis, social network analysis, interviews, focus groups, and surveys to study one correctional facility through the process of design, construction, and operations. We found that adhering to the principles of integrative design resulted in the design of a high performance building that reduced energy consumption, improved building function, increased staff productivity, increased safety and occupant well-being for both staff and offenders. We also found that the design flaws in the building were the direct result of excluding a key building occupant group, offenders. This case illustrates the potential and necessity of integrative design processes to achieve aggressive performance standards.

Two Forewords outline the background of regressive penal policies in Canada and The United States from 1980 to 2015, leading to following articles and letters that consider specific problems for architects in the service of correctional institutions of the time.

What is prison architecture and how can it be studied? How are concepts such as humanism, dignity and solidarity translated into prison architecture? What kind of ideologies and ideas are expressed in various prison buildings from different eras and locations? What is the outside and the inside of a prison, and what is the significance of movement within the prison space? What does a lunch table have to do with prison architecture? How do prisoners experience materiality in serving a prison sentence? These questions are central to the texts presented in this anthology. Prison, Architecture and Humans is the result of a collaboration between researchers and architects from Italy, Norway and Sweden. It presents new approaches to prison architecture and penological research by focusing on prison design, prison artefacts, everyday prison life and imprisoned bodies. The book will be of interest to students, researchers, architects and politicians.

2021

3 Introduction 4 Why a Typology? 4 The Typology 5 Methodology 6 Study Limitations 7 Conclusion 21 Endnotes 24 Bibliography 25 3 Towards a Typology of Design in relation to Prisons

Advancements in Civil Engineering & Technology, 2019

This short communication discusses how the scarcity of studies on criminal architecture in Latin America results in a reduction in the number of architectural and engineering solutions and opposes the vast scientific production in the field of human sciences, which seeks to understand prison reality and transformation / improvement of the punitive system. Here, the autor proposes the need to develop research and humanization strategies for prisons in order to contribute to the process of architecture design and construction of the penal building, while there is no other form of social control than deprivation of liberty.

Prison populations have a disproportionately high rate of people suffering with mental health or behavioural problems. In a new report, Dr Marayca López and Laura Maiello-Reidy of CGL/Ricci Greene Associates, a pre-eminent criminal justice planning and design firm based in New York, explain how prison design can significantly improve the living conditions of mentally ill inmates. They share design principels that can help create correctional buildings that have a restorative, not detrimental, impact on inmates suffering from mental illness. Irrespective of the crime committed, every person deserves our respect and our best practices. As justice planners, architects and design practitioners, it is our responsibility to continually evolve the way we design spaces to better serve those who occupy them – particularly the disenfranchised. Given the high percentage of mentally ill offenders in correctional institutions, it is imperative that the facility environment provides humane settings that support stabilisation, recovery and rehabilitation. When the setting is conducive to positive change, the conditions of those suffering from mental illness can be stabilised or even improved during incarceration, which can also reduce recidivism in the long run. This paper considers: •Environmental design principles that address the unique needs of mentally ill inmates •Spatial attributes and interior design considerations to enhance health and well-being •Specialised housing that reflects different mental health needs and acuity levels •The provision of treatment, care and support spaces •A sustainable solution to the correctional mental health challenge First published by Penal reform International as an expert blog. The full online version can be accessed here: https://www.penalreform.org/blog/prisons-and-the-mentally-ill-why-design-matters/