Elizabeth Woodruff

Designing Dignity for

Liz Woodruff - INTD 5002

Despite of the world’s 5%

America,

the

Land

of the world’s prison 20%

having world’s population, 5%

Land of the Free, has prison population. 20%

Lack of Autonomy

43% of people in state prisons been diagnosed with disorder

Lack of Connection

$1.85 the 2022 profit of CoreCivic, the company that manages private

Lack of Privacy

The Problem

43% prisons have with a mental

$1.85 B

CoreCivic, owns and prisons

74% of people in state prisons reported not receiving any medical health care while incarcerated

2x as many people are suffering from mental illness in prisons than there are in all psychiatric hospitals in the United States combined

can incarceration lasting damage to mental health?

of Autonomy

prison have no control over their daily lives. A lack of control harms health. Psychological research shows that meaningless and a lack of lead to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.

Family Disconnection

separates people from their families, and even when they do get to heavily monitored and limited. Being separated from children is hard, and causes distress, depression, and guilt.

Overcrowding

Overcrowding means more time in cell, less privacy, less access to mental and healthcare, and fewer opportunites to participate in programming and assignments. Overcrowdinig is correlated with depression and hostility.

Five Mualimm-ak

“You end up doing things that you would’ve done ever before system is telling you, ‘You’re valid. You’re not a human being.’ that, you just don’t care

that you would never think before in life. That whole ‘You’re not validated. You’re not being.’ And when you lose care anymore, right?”

Mualimm-ak

Objective

I will redesign select areas in prisons dignity, encourage a decrease in perception of

Goals

01 Provide choices to

02 Foster meaninful interpersonal

03 Cultivate a healing,

Objective

prisons to give incarcerated people more prison population, and alter the incarceration.

Goals

to encorage autonomy interpersonal connections

healing, non-judgemental culture

Mass Incarceration Solutions

fromtheAmericanCivil

01 Eliminate incarceration as a penalty for certain classes of low-level, non-violent offenses

03 Distinguish between the people currently in prison who continue to pose threats to safety and those who are ready to re-enter society

spacial intervention

spacialintervention

On September 23rd, 2022, I recorded the offense of everyone who county that day. All of the offenses were written out on transparent space the size of a solitary confinement cell.

Photo by Liz Woodruff

who was arrested in Hamilton transparent curtains, and hung to create a

most serious offense type

felony level of most serious offense

age

Photo by Liz Woodruff

precedents

Behavioral Joyful

Ingrid Fetell Lee

A large part of my project is bringing happiness and purpose into the lives of the people in prison, and this book is full of precedents in which the interior space can bring happiness to the people that occupy it.

Behavioral health facilities prisons in that they have measures and concerns escape, but these facilities attention to mental do.

Image courtesy of The Aesthetics of Joy

Image courtesy of

Behavioral Health

facilities are similar to have similar security concerns of violence and facilities give a lot more health than prisons do.

Halden Prison

Østfold Norway

A lot of European countries deseign their prisons with more dignity than their American counterparts. These prisons see a lot less violence than American prisons. This prison in particular is maximum security, but is still considered “the most humane prison in the world”.

Image courtesy of The Story Institute

Four Point Design

American Prison Design

Radial Design

The center hub of the radial design is the secuirty center, and movement is monitered between the spokes.

Telephone-Pole Design

The spokes off the central corridor are where occurs, and the high security central corridor movement occurs. movement

Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

O.L. Luther Unit, Navasota Texas

Design Campus Design

Texas where all activity corridor is where all

Campus Design

The different functions spread out across different buildings, forcing a commute to different daily activities. This better simulates life outside of prison.

Halden Prison, Østfold Norway

Program

The existing conditions displayed are based off a medium-security correctional facility

01 Housing Unit

02 Common Area

Sound Level

Sound Level

Privacy

Privacy

Security Natural Light

Security Natural Light

Program

facility in Indiana, which can be used as a basis of design across prisons in America. 03

Housing Units

A typical housing unit in America is dormitory Bunk beds are packed in one room. Each person their bunk, and then a small foot locker to store possessions. There are no walls or privacy. There usually no air conditioning.

In dormitory housing, incarcerated people get a bunk and the circulation area around it. The area of the bunk bed plus the required circulation around each bed gives 54 square feet per person.

54 square feet

Proposed Housing Unit

socialize

52.5 square feet

Ground Floor Plan

Mezzanine Floor Plan

Accessible Unit

When placed side by side, two accessible units take up the same amount of space as three typical housing units.

Soft

Soft materials are more comforting for users, and can make them feel more safe and secure.

Sound Absorbent

constant sound and stimulation in dormitory housing can be very overwhelming, especially for neurodivergent people. Sound absorbing materials give the users more privacy as well.

note-accesableunit

Natural & Alive

access to nature brings feelings of freedom and joy, so bringing in natural materials can help incarcereated people feel more joyful.

Privacy, Connection, in the Housing

Autonomy

open shelving creates a space to display items and further decorate the unit

Autonomy

a magnetic surface allows for personal items and decor to be hung in the unit

Privacy

this long surface can be used as a desk or as a dining area - incarcerated people can choose to use the tables in common areas, or retreat to this more private table.

Connection, and Autonomy Housing Units

Autonomy

a closet gives incarcerated people a place to store clothes, and different outfit options creates another choice in the day.

Socialization

a second chair flexes the housing unit into an intimate social space

Privacy

drawers allow incarcerated people to have personal items kept secure

Privacy, Connection, in the Housing

Autonomy

a shelf next to the bed allows for personalization and ease of access to items during the night

Privacy

a curtain dividing the bed from the common area allows for privacy while sleeping.

Connection, and Autonomy Housing Units

Connection

This platform is wide enough to sit on, creating a personal nook from which someone can still view / be a part of the socialization happening outside the units.

Privacy in Indiana, all incarcerated people are given a tablet but outlets are only in common areas and there are not enough outlets to charge all the tablets. Outlets in the units allow for easier and more private use of the tablets.

Security in the

Curtains

curtains are tearaway, so they will break off if any weight is applied to them / if someone attempts to hang something off them.

Furniture

both furniture items in the housing unit are weighted so that they can’t be thrown.

Glazing

Glazing on the housing unit allows for corrections officers to view inside the unit. The glazing is polycarbonate panels, which is highly impact resistant and won’t break into weaponizable shards if broken.

Housing Units

Outlets

The outlets are tamper-resistant, hospital grade units on arc-fault interrupted circuits.

Cameras

Cameras mounted in the housing units provide more security and can help prevent theft.

Common Area

In the dormitories, there are two televisions each end. At one end is the sports tv, and the other end has the tv for movies. One complaint about the current setup is that there aren’t any good multipurpose rooms with easily moveable furniture, which makes it hard to adapt the space for different events / services.

Area at the

As the population decreases, a common area can be inserted connect people in the housing units and create smaller communities allows for more connecetion with corrections officers. possible.

Lounge

The lounge area is meant to function like a living room for the eight people in the unit. a comfortable couch and television can gather the people from this dorm for anything from a sports game to a more casual group therapy session.

Common Area

inserted in the middle of the dormitories. The main purpose is to communities within the larger prison. The smaller scale also The goal is to emulate a home environment as much as possible. Table

The dining table can be used for eating, games, socialization, learning, and other activities. The table can also be a space for healing. It is an intimate space for connection and group therapy, or, in recovery dorms, it can be a space for AA meetings.

Privacy, Connection, in the Common

Connection

a table with enough seating for everyone in the dorm creates a space for the community to meet

Autonomy

a variety of seating creates a choice when users are deciding where to sit

Connection, and Autonomy Common Area

Connection

a common room set up like a living room simulates a home environment. This helps create a more familial connection between incarcerated people

Autonomy

one television per eight incarcerated people allows for more choice in what is being watched

Privacy a common room inserted among housing units instead of one large day room keeps the occupation count a lot lower

Security in the

Furniture

lounge furniture is weighted down, preventing it from being thrown or stacked to create barricades (a lack of doorways also prevents barricading). The dining chairs are made of a lightweight polypropylene that can’t be broken into sharp pieces. The chairs are also weighted with sand to make them difficult to throw.

Ligature resistant: without points where a cord, rope, bedsheet, or other fabric / material can be looped or tied to create sustainable point of attachment that may result in self-harm or loss of life

Common Area

Sight Lines

all furniture is low to the ground to allow sight lines through the space. The common room is also very open to the hallway to allow ease of movement and more sight lines for corrections officers.

Lighting

all lighting is ceiiling mounted and tamperproof. They are ligature resistant, and contain no elements that can be broken off and weaponized.

VISITATION

The current visitation areas are sterile, concrete, uninviting. Guests have to go through a security get to visitation, which can be very scary for into the sterile visiting room with no contact can be very difficult and intimidating especially and it makes it hard for people in prison to with their loved ones.

VISITATION

concrete, and security screening to for kids. Entering contact rules enforced especially for children, to really connect

“Offenders who have ‘contact’ visits may embrace (hug) and kiss at the beginning and at the end of the visit. During the visit, the only contact perrmitted is holding hands. Small children may be permitted to sit on the lap of the visitor or offender. Any improper contact between an offender and visitor shall be grounds for stopping the visit immediately and possible restrictions on the visitor’s ability to visit the offender. Some offenders are restricted to ‘non-contact’ visits. In these cases, there shall be no physical contact (touching) between the offender and the visitors. Due to COVID-19 precautions, contact between offenders and their visitors are suspended until further notice.”

- IDOC Guideline for Visitors

As prison population decreases, sections of overnight visitation areas. These units can be a private space for true connection

of previous dormitory can be converted into reserved by incarcerated people, giving them connection with their loved ones.

Privacy, Connection, in the Visitation

Privacy

A curtain separating the bed from the rest of the room gives parents some privacy if they have children staying overnight as well.

Connection

The lounge area is meant to feel like a living room. The comfortable furniture lets the visitors settle in, so they can focus on connecting with their loved ones.

Connection, and Autonomy Visitation Area

Connection

A table allows for families to eat meals or play games together, which can make them feel more at home and put children at ease.

Autonomy

A small kitchenette gives families a choice in what food they want to prepare or eat.

Privacy

An attached bathroom allows family members to feel more comfortable, and prevents them from having to leave the unit during a visitation.

Security in the

Kitchenette

The kitchen area contains no undercabinet storage, as drawers or cabinets would not be ligature resistant.

Lighting

All lighting is ceiling mounted and tamperproof. They are ligature resistant, and contain no elements that can be broken off and weaponized.

Visitation Area

Furniture

Furniture is bolted to the ground in all instances to prevent it from being thrown or used as a barricade.

Dining Area

In the prison I studied, before COVID-19, people were lined up in the cafeteria, recieved their meals, and then had four minutes to eat in the cafeteria. Now, they revieve two meals at noon, a hot and a cold, and eat them in the housing units. They usually eat the hot meal at noon and then have to keep the second meal secure until dinner.

currentdining Area

Dining Spaces in

At the current capacity of many prisons enough dining space for everyone, and bagged meals to take back to the dormitory, have anywhere to eat. The new dormitory private and more public

Private

The desk in the indvidual housing units creates a space for a private meal. The lockable drawers also allow for incarcerated people to keep their food secure during the day.

in the Dormitory

prisons in America, there is not and incarcerated people are given dormitory, which currently doesn’t dormitory design allows for both public dining spaces.

Social

A large table in the center is flexible, allowing for games, meetings, and connection between the smaller group of people in each dorm. Using this table as a dining table creates a sense of family and unity among the incarcerated people.

Communal Table

The communal table allows for 10 people to sit together at an open table. It is the most social table, and it is also the most open to the rest of the room with very low furniture.

Booth Seating

The booth allows for more intimate dining between two people. The sides of the booth create a sense of enclosure and safety, and blocks out some of the noise and activity.

Social

Bar Seating

The bar seats aren’t facing anyone, so the person sitting there doesn’t have to engage in conversation if they don’t want. However, the seats are still close to others so there is still an element of community.

Single Seating

These small pod dining areas allow for a completely individual dining experience. The curved walls create a feeling of envelopment and privacy, giving the user a break from the surrounding activity.

Privacy, Connection, in the Dining

Autonomy

A variety of seeating types allows for more choiceusers picking where they sit gives them a feeling of more control over their lives.

Connection

A large open table option can foster community between a larger group.

Connection, and Autonomy Dining Area

Privacy

Acoustical panels keep sound from bouncing around as easily and give audial privacy.

Connection

These tables allow for one on one connection between two people

Security in the

Sight Lines

none of the elements exceed 3’-6” in height. This allows for easy visibility across the cafeteria.

Furniture

All heavy elements are secured in place to the ground, so they cannot be picked up and thrown or used to barricade.

the Dining Area

“It’s not just about the punishment trying to eradicate. It is getting that there is a level that we the majority of the world doesn’t is these dark spots, and these, pain and punishment, and pay for Five Mualimm-ak

punishment that I have that I’m getting society to understand we have dropped below that doesn’t know exists. There these, sort of, safe spaces for torture to happen. And we for it.”

Mualimm-ak

02 Common Area 01 Housing Unit

thank you for listening!

Interested in learning more? Here are some

13th A documentary on Netfliix that explores the history of racial inequality in the United States and how it has lead to prisons being disproportionately filled with African-Americans.

The New Jim Crow

A book that dives into how the United States criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control.

edition. New York, New Press, 2012.

Ava Duvernay, and Jason Moran. 13TH. USA, 2016.

Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Revised

resources.

Are Prisons Obsolete?

An argument for “decarceration”, in which Davis describes the flaws of incarceration and lays out how prisons could be eradicated all together.

The Box: Minds Lost in Solitary Confinement

A New Yorker Documentary that offers a window into the harsh reality of solitary confinement.

Davis, Angela. Are Prisons Obsolete?

Seven Stories Press, 2003.

listening!

cause? Here are some Cincinnati based difference in your community!

call 513-556-6781 students at the university innocent people from prison

Do your research and vote! Your lawmakers have the power to make a difference.

Ohio Senate Bill 288 just went into effect on April 2nd, which makes it easier for Ohioans to adjust to life after release, gives state officials wider latitude to release inmates early, and reduces the consequences of minor marijuana offenses, among other things.