NCJ Number
102117
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 48 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1986) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
P L Millard
Date Published
1986
Length
183 pages
Annotation
Twenty-four articles discuss various aspects of correctional facility planning, design, and architecture.
Abstract
New York State's strategy for expanding prison space is described: educating communities about the advantages of new prisons in an area, converting State mental institutions, developing prototype facilities, and renovating existing properties. Articles focusing on design discuss a prison design intended to normalize prison life by simulating a village or small town, the plan for a maximum-security facility, and a floor plan for a 250-female inmate prison. Construction issues addressed include the use of modular space (a factory-built wood or steel frame structure transported in sections to be joined on the site) and precast concrete construction, which saves costs and speeds construction. Security design recommendations cover lighting, the use of high-tech systems to improve security and reduce staff, polycarbonate glazing of glass, and the installation of an effective perimeter security sensor to detect perimeter violations. Renovations of existing jails and prisons are described, and issues in the privatization of the construction and operation of correctional facilities are discussed. One article discusses lease purchase as an alternative to tax-exempt general obligation bonds for financing prison construction. Under such an arrangement, a correctional agency makes lease payments to a public building authority for the use of a corrections facility. Other articles advocate the use of private construction management firms to ensure that prison construction progresses efficiently and effectively.