NCJ Number
61668
Editor(s)
P DICKENS,
S MACCONVILLE,
L FAIRWEATHER
Date Published
1978
Length
96 pages
Annotation
IN THIS COLLECTION OF SYMPOSIUM PAPERS, PROBLEMS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE DESIGN OF PRISONS, PAST AND PRESENT, ARE DISCUSSED; THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PENAL PHILOSOPHY AND ARCHITECTURE IS EMPHASIZED.
Abstract
THROUGH DISCUSSION OF PRISON ARCHITECTURE, NUMEROUS SOCIOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES RELATING TO PRISONS ARE ADDRESSED. MAIN PROBLEMS OF EXISTING INSTITUTIONS, SENTENCING TRENDS, THE PURPOSE OF PRISONS, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, CURRENT ATTITUDES TOWARD REHABILITATION, AND PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE PENAL SYSTEM ARE HIGHLIGHTED THROUGHOUT THE WORK. SPECIFIC TOPICS OF THE PAPERS PRESENTED HERE INCLUDE DEVELOPMENTS IN PENAL ARCHITECTURE, THE AMERICAN VIEW OF PRISON CONSTRUCTION, FORCES IN CORRECTIONAL ARCHITECTURE, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PENAL PHILOSOPHY AND PRISON DESIGN IN THE VICTORIAN PERIOD, AND PRISON DESIGN FOR THE SECURE IMPRISONMENT OF THE CONVICTED MALE ADULT OFFENDER. ALTHOUGH THESE WORKS FOCUS PRIMARILY ON THE PRISONS OF GREAT BRITAIN, SOME INCLUDE INFORMATION RELEVANT TO PRISONS INTERNATIONALLY; OTHER PAPERS INCLUDE COMMENTS PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO THE UNITED STATES. PRISON ADMINISTRATORS AND CORRECTION FACILITY PLANNERS, AS WELL AS PRISON ARCHITECTS, WOULD FIND THE WORK USEFUL. A PRIMARY THEME OF THE WORK IS THAT INVENTIVENESS AND IMAGINATION MUST BE UTILIZED BY ARCHITECTS TO BRING BOTH DESIGN AND PHILOSOPHY INTO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. THREE NOTICEABLE TRENDS IN THE DESIGN OF PRISON BUILDINGS REFLECT THE CHANGING PHILOSOPHY; PRISONS ARE SMALLER, THE SIZE OF GROUPS WITHIN THE PRISONS HAS BEEN REDUCED, AND CENTRAL FACILITIES SUCH AS WORKSHOPS, TEACHING SPACES, AND HOBBY ROOMS HAVE GROWN LARGER. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED FOR EACH PAPER. (LWM)