Designing from the Inside Out San Bruno Jail Workshop
August 8th 2014 San Bruno Jail Workshop
August 8th 2014
Designing Incarceration Nation Some High School or Less GED
64%
26%
High School
25%
Post 10% Secondary
Incarceration by Education Level
64% 10% 26% Black Latino Incarceration by Race
29.1%
Violent 29.1%
White
70.9%
Property 29%
Drug 25.4%
Incarceration by Offense
The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any country in the world. 1 out of 100 people in the United States are currently incarcerated, spending anywhere from a few days to a few years to their whole lives behind bars. Incarcerated individuals are disproportionately people of color, especially men, and those who are poor and un- or under-educated and employed. Recidivism rates up to 76% suggest that incarceration does little to reduce offending and subsequently results in the reincarceration of the same individuals over and over again. At a cost of 68 billion dollars annually, this ineffective system diverts funding from vital social programs, such as education and health, 10 to 15% of these dollars are spent on the infrastructure of our current justice system (e.g., architectural design, construction and operation of courthouses, jails, detentions centers, prisons). While facility design and operations are rarely considered in conjunction with system effectiveness, research suggests facility architecture and design impacts the physical and psychological well-being of the incarcerated and staff alike. Since prisons are ineffective at reducing recidivism and perpetuate feelings of anger and bitterness, and foster violence, there is reason to question whether current facility design is promoting or inhibiting justice goals aimed at reducing offending, encouraging productive community participation, and creating safe communities. While the goal of some justice architecture is to increase safety for those living and working there, the lack of privacy in its planning, the limited access to light and air, poor acoustics exacerbated by hard surfaces, and institutional furnishings all contribute in institutionalizing those within and fostering stressful and antagonistic environments that do not facilitate transformation and healing. We face a challenge. Do we continue to design prisons aimed to solely punish, knowing such designs are having little effect on recidivism and inhibits well-being? Or do we design to get at more fundamental concerns of accountability and personal transformation and promote wellbeing? Restorative justice may offer some insight into how to design for the latter.
Public order 15.8%
Sources Bureau of Justice Statistics www.bjs.gov
NAACP www.naacp.org
VERA Institute of Justice http://www.vera.org/
The Environmental Psychology of Prisons and Jails, Richard E Wener, Cambridge University Press , 2012
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Restorative Justice + Design Restorative justice seeks to restore and repair the people and relationships impacted by crime by understanding victims’ needs and holding offenders accountable in a way that meets these needs. One common restorative justice practice, victim offender dialogue, brings victims and offenders together for face-to-face meetings to discuss impacts, needs, and, when appropriate, ways to repair damages. Thousands of these dialogue programs operate in the US, Canada, and Europe, with many dialogues occurring in prisons when the offender is incarcerated and the crimes have been violent. Research suggests that these encounters contribute to increased empathy, improved restitution completion, and reduced offending. Rather than focused on punishment, this philosophical approach to justice relies on values such as respect, participation, trust, accountability, and healing. Just as the principles and values of our punitive approach to justice manifest in our current justice architectural typologies, the philosophies of a restorative model can inform the design of justice spaces, including correctional facilities, in a radically different way. Some restorative justice theorists and practitioners propose that since restorative justice is ultimately a philosophy and set of values, it could inform the design of physical environments in such a way that the environmental design supports the programs which occur within the space. This concern for the design of the spaces in which restorative justice occurs is new but important. As a localized, place-based criminal, cultural, and civic approach, restorative justice practices require local, flexible and immediately available meeting places. Currently, restorative processes occur in a variety of readily available civic, religious and personal spaces from homes, houses of worship, schools, to courtrooms. They also occur in prisons and jails.
Community
Offender
Victim
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Designing Justice + Designing Spaces Goals
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Use restorative values and principles to re-envision and re-appropriate institutional space. Engage with incarcerated men and women as active agents in envisioning healing spaces for justice.
The Designing Justice + Designing Spaces project aims to explore the relationship between restorative justice and the architecture and design of justice spaces, with a particular interest in the design of correctional facilities. It is one of the first methodological approaches to working with incarcerated populations to re-envision, re-appropriate, and re-create the spaces of incarceration using the values and principles of restorative justice. This project is funded by The Fetzer Institute.
Equip incarcerated individuals with materials, design skills and analytic ability to explore the implication of environment and its impact on well-being. Create a toolkit for re-envisioning, re-appropriating, and re-creating the space of incarceration using the values and principles of restorative justice. Harvest program participants’ knowledge and selfknowledge about the critical interrelationships between our inner and outer life, as it relates to design and restorative justice, by using tools for self-reflection, such as collage and a visual diary. Designing from the Inside Out 3
Designing from the Inside Out The Designing from the Inside Out workshops invite incarcerated people to consider restorative justice and re-design criminal justice environments so that they are informed by restoration and healing, through a customized community engagement process in high security settings. These workshops are approximately 10-12 hours in length. The participants in Designing from the Inside Out workshops read restorative justice and design literature, engage in discussions, and participate in mini-design labs, the learnings from which they apply in the creation of a design concept for a justice space of their choosing that embodies the values of restorative justice. Participants learn and use a variety of design tools (e.g., image boards, models, collages) to express their vision of justice spaces that embody restorative justice values and goals. To date, three workshops have been offered in state prisons and county jails in Pennsylvania and California.
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San Bruno Jail Workshop
Final Projects Project Components
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The creation of a diagram to guide participants into thinking about the “story” of their designed space. Representing ideas of the space in the form of a collage to better visualize the restorative qualities wanted. Detailed 2-D floor plans of the designed space, or a room within their space, drawn with architectural precision. A perspective rendering of the design so participants can apply taught techniques and further communicate their ideas. Each team creates a 3-D paper model of their design, or a room within their design. Each team pins up their designs for a presentation of their concept, the restorative justice values that the design represented, and feasible aspects of the design that could be implemented.
This document provides examples of design concepts created by incarcerated men and women in the Designing from the Inside Out workshops and features those created by men incarcerated at San Bruno jail in San Francisco, CA. This workshop ran for approximately 12 hours over 4 days and included 18 male students, all of whom were participating in the RSVP program. In addition to the workshop of reading, discussion, and mini-design lab, students also interviewed other incarcerated men and jail staff to solicit their ideas for designs informed by restorative justice. The students learned 5 design tools – visual diary, collage, diagramming, perspective/montage, and model making. As a final project, the class divided into 5 small groups and each team was asked to create a design concept for a room, building, or collection of buildings so that its design and architecture represented the values inherent to restorative justice. They used their learnings and newly learned design skills to create these concepts. Upon completion, each team pinned up their designs for a presentation of their concept, the restorative justice values that the design represented, and feasible aspects of the design that could be implemented. A panel of reviewers, including the workshop facilitators, correctional administrators, and community-based program facilitators, offered feedback on each concept.
The students’ designs and the narratives they created to explain them follow. Their work provides insight into the creation and design of justice spaces that embody restorative justice values.
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Peace Within Designed & Written by: Marion Tukes Donald Gillis
This is what a cell would look like from a restorative justice point of view. There would basically be a peaceful setting with electronics to keep the mind busy and at ease. A place that feels safe and comfortable to work on self in nurturing ways. It would be a place to sit with yourself, to get to know yourself and become aware of your actions.
DeAndre Hill
“Everyone is equal” “Equality is the beginning of change” 3-D paper model of the design
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2-D floor plan
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Peace Within
“The thing that we would be able to do is add a sunroof, two more big windows and a gym set such as pull up bars or a full court gym – just more things to relieve the stress.”
Representative collage
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Interior view showing a phone in the cell and a privacy screen for the bathroom
Desk with a computer
Window with views to the exterior
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Perspective drawing of the redesigned cell
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Marion working on the 3-D paper model
De’Andre presenting the team’s project
Creating a perspective
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S.F. County Community Healing Center Designed & Written by: Omar Williams Raya Man Dante Hayes
The San Francisco County Community Healing Center was founded by Omar, Raya and Dante, 3 former inmates who had a passion for change. The program is based around our six restorative justice values – love, respect, confidentiality, privacy, honesty, and flexibility. We knew it would take change in order for our communities to heal. With our design – these 6 core values were integrated into the building structure. The old monolithic setting had to be eradicated and replaced with a new – much ideal infrastructure. With much dedication and hard work we would like to present to you our presentation of the new San Francisco County Community Healing Center.
Exterior view of the Healing Center
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Representative collage
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S.F. County Community Healing Center
First floor plan
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Dante presenting the team’s design concept
Omar working on the 2-D floor plan
Dante drawing one of the floor plans
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3-D paper model of the design
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View of the interior courtyard
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Restorative Justice Glass House Healing Center
Designed & Written by: Anthony Grosso Michael Johnson Philip Torres
Entrance to the Restorative Justice Center Glass House
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This is a place where people who have broken laws come to heal. They are taught how to be productive members of the community through: 1. Counseling/Triage Find out what the clients needs are; Make a list of goals for each client; Begin counseling sessions
2. Music Therapy Room We have one of California’s newest music labs, with state of the art recording studios plus a full array of musical instruments and instructors; Learning how to express yourself through music
3. Living Quarters All have memory foam beds; All have full closets; All receive MacBook Pro’s; All have full entertainment centers with no expense spared
4. Multi Purpose Room Yoga, full time masseuse and acupuncturist; Herbal healing
5. Full Kitchen Caterers with no expense spared
6. General Space Living Room Phones, movies, glass roof, plants, dogs, fish, leather couches, La-Z-Boys for senior advocates
7. Friday is Ice Cream Night
Representative Collage
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Restorative Justice Glass House Healing Center
Glass House floor plan
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Anthony creating the 3-D model of the Glass House
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Restorative Justice Glass House Healing Center
Healing Center floor plan
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Back entrance to the Glass House
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Interior view of the Glass House
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Anthony explaining his vision to the review panel and his peers
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Healing Sun Center Our restorative justice design concept is a healing center. We feel a healing center is needed in a jail or prison that is actually based on Restorative Justice. Inside of the Healing Center a healing circle would be included. In the circle there would be dialogue between the offender and the victim, making the healing process more possible for them both. The circle is a set of chairs surrounding a sun on the floor – the sun represents life as one.
Designed & Written by: Troy Jones Donte Sykes Nicholas Jackson
View of the healing circle
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There is a TV at one end of the circle as well. The TV comes in and out of the floor so it doesn’t always have to be visible. The purpose of the TV is so that whoever could not attend could be present via video communications. A fish aquarium is also included in our design. The aquarium represents peace because looking at it creates a feeling of calmness and happiness, which is what we want in our center. There are trees in the healing center as well. The trees represent life and growth, because we want people to grow from our healing center. There are also 2 restrooms and a refreshment stand. The walls are glass so participants can look out to the trees. Healing Sun Center floor plan
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Healing Sun Center The restorative justice value that our design represents is a core value of respect. As Barb Toews says in her book, a justice system grounded in respect recognizes the need for accountability, restoration, and healing. This respect comes through listening to and validating the experiences of everyone impacted by crime. A system with dignity and worth. A respectful system assists people in naming their justice needs and involves them in creating a justice response. All of this can be accomplished at our healing center. Representative collage
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3-D paper model of the design
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Healing Sun Center
“Aspects of our design that are feasible to implement on relatively short notice and with little money here in the pod would be having a fish tank to create a feeling of peace, or plants to create a feeling of life and growth.”
Perspective drawing of the Healing Sun Center
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View of the 3-D paper model without exterior walls
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Restorative Pod The water fountain would have a statue in the middle. There would be flowers and plants going around the foot of the statue.
Designed & Written by: Lamar Paschall Anthony Pratt Keith Wilkins Aliton Woodson View of the Restorative Justice room and the central waterfall
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When entering our Restorative Pod the first room you encounter is the Restorative Justice Room. The Restorative Justice Room will have vibrant colors on the walls, floors, paintings to stimulate the healing process. The ‘RJ Room’ has a circular table that represents life because life comes full circle, which encompasses everything RJ is about. It also represents one whole instead of division. No one person is superior to another. This room will also have plants, flowers and other living things to support life. The visual communication both allows the person entering the booth to have privacy and intimacy with his/ her family. We incorporated a small screen to allow the user to see his family member and vice versa. 2-D floor plan of the design
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Restorative Pod
3-D paper model of the design
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Deanna assisting Anthony with the 2-D floor plan representation
Aliton working on the 3-D paper model
Anthony working on the floor plan as Lamar looks on
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Restorative Pod
Keith adding color to the floor plan
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View of the Gaming and Music Room
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View of the Movie and TV Room
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Aliton giving the audience a better look of their detailed 3-D model
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Thank you The Designing from the Inside Out workshop has been graciously funded by the Fetzer Institute. We would like to give a special thank you to Community Works for sponsoring our class and facilaitating its success. We also want to thank the volunteers and staff at San Bruno County Jail who helped make the class possible. Special thanks to Sherriff Ross Mirakami, Ruth Morgan, Dee Myers, Melvyn Jarrettii & Kelly Gregory
Graphic Design by: Francis Goyes & Mike Nicholls Design
www.communityworkswest.org
August 8, 2014
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About Barb Toews is an experienced practitioner, trainer and educator in restorative justice and victim offender dialogue in prison, community and educational settings. Her previous work with the Pennsylvania Prison Society included developing restorative justice programs in prison settings, managing and incorporating the philosophy into offender and offender family programs and collaborating with incarcerated men and women as they develop their own restorative projects. Prior to this experience, she was the founding director of the Lancaster Area Victim Offender Reconciliation Program. Barb will be on the Criminal Justice Faculty at the University of Washington Tacoma in the fall. Deanna Van Buren is a thought leader, researching, formulating, and advocating for restorative justice centers, a radical transformation of justice architecture. She is the founding partner of FOURM, a design firm creating spaces for peacemaking and restorative justice. Recent work in her firm includes the Creating Justice Toolkit for designing with incarcerated populations, facilities for restorative justice programs in Oakland, California, development of a Restorative Justice Center prototype, and installation design for the American Reparatory Theater’s Civil War project. She authored Restorative Justice Design: Developing New Typologies for Social Change. Van Buren holds a Master of Architecture from Columbia University, a BS in Architecture at the University of Virginia, and recently completed The Loeb Fellowship at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
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