NCJ Number
124377
Date Published
1989
Length
136 pages
Annotation
In an effort to provide a nurturing environment for abused children and efficient working spaces for operations at the Los Angeles County Children's Courthouse, architects developed a number of design recommendations.
Abstract
These recommendations are outlined in this report, along with a series of decisions which must be made prior to the development of schematic designs. The goal of the Los Angeles project was to provide a supportive environment for children and their families, fostering a process of education, healing, and recovery. The courthouse should be a place where children feel welcome and comfortable, yet an institution where parents begin to realize the consequences of their actions and address the problems in their family lives. The document is divided into four sections: 1) an Introduction, which describes the goals of the project in addressing the needs of abused children and the methodology used to gather information from courthouse users, including children, parents, social workers, lawyers, judges and courthouse staff; 2) the Dependency Court, which describes the court process as well as the various roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the process; 3) Criteria for Child and Family Sensitive Design, which discusses the necessity of addressing the childrens' and families' needs through both programming and physical environment, how these concepts can be translated into design, and how the physical environment can communicate the desired messages; and 4) Findings, Recommendations and Issues, which presents the results of the data analysis in the form of design recommendations and guidelines for 16 different areas and physical aspects of the courthouse. These include hearing room waiting areas, mediation conference rooms, interview rooms, outdoor and indoor landscaping, and information systems.