1.

PRISON OVERCROWDING
A report released earlier this year indicated that the prison population has been steadily declining
for several consecutive years. The problem with these reports is that they are at least two years
old at the time of publication of the numbers, which means they may inaccurately reflect the
current population of prisoners across the country.
More importantly, despite suggestions of a decline in the total prison population, we know that
many prisons are still overcrowded. This is partly due to the fact that freed prisoners are often the
least threatening to society, but the number of inmates considered to be the most dangerous
usually remains the same. There is a limited number of high-security rooms that can safely house
the most dangerous prisoners. This problem is compounded by the fact that the new high-
security structures needed to reduce overcrowding are rarely built due to their high cost.
2. FUNDING GAPS
No matter how good the economy is, corrections rarely lead to more funding. Conversely, when
budget cuts are needed, corrections are often seen as the main source of savings. It is
understandable that in our society it is difficult to argue that adequate funding for the
maintenance of prisons is as important as the education of our children or the support of those in
need.
Prisons are expensive to build and expensive to maintain once they are in operation. This is
especially true of institutions designed to accommodate the most dangerous prisoners. As a
result, we tend to see that patchworks are applied to keep old structures up and running, not to
build new ones. Furthermore, the equipment is often outdated, which in turn reduces the safety of
the personnel. These urgent issues must be taken into consideration when budget allocations are
discussed, before the issue of staff remuneration can also be considered.
3. STAFF SAFETY/INMATE VIOLENCE
Personnel safety and prisoner violence are so intertwined that they need to be discussed together
as a common issue. Violence from prisoners, especially among the most dangerous sections of
the prison population, is a problem for both other prisoners and staff. Since the most dangerous
inmates are those that prison facilities have to hold for longer periods of time, this increases the
likelihood of repeated abuse in prison facilities.
When prisoners attack each other, staff must step in to take control of the situation. This
intervention puts personnel at risk. However, it is not just the violence of detainees that raises
concerns for staff safety; violent prisoners also target staff. This is directly related to the
previously noted problem of aging in prisons and patchwork correction in institutions. As prisons
age and systems deteriorate, inmates have more opportunities to exploit weakened systems,
thereby increasing the threat to staff security.
4. ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY
At first glance, technical progress seems like an advantage, not a concern for corrections in the
coming year. If technological advances were used to improve facility performance and staff
safety, this view would be accurate; however, limited funding often prevents prisons from
spending money on technology that would benefit institutions and staff.
Meanwhile, inmates can benefit from technological advances, especially when we see an
increase in the miniaturization of devices. Think about how small some communication devices
are today. The smaller the device, the easier it is to carry it around the room and, in turn, for the
prisoner to hide it. As technology advances, concern about smuggling and related issues also
increases.
5. STAFF RETENTION
As a correctional agent, how often do you wonder why you continue to work in an area that puts
you in danger with the most dangerous members of our society; struggling to fund facilities
designed to house these people; and does it require you to be constantly vigilant about threats to
your security? The reality is that you are not alone if you ask these questions repeatedly,
especially since prison officers work for some of the lowest salaries in the criminal justice
system. More and more prison officers decide that the risks associated with the job outweigh the
rewards and leave the scene.
Staff retention continues to be a problem in the penitentiary sector. Corrections are arguably the
most dangerous area of the criminal justice system. Prison staff must enter a secure facility full
of deviant people who are constantly looking for ways to harm others. Over time, the stress
caused by constant detours and security threats can become unbearable. As a result, too many
good employees choose to leave the adjustment camp and move on to other job opportunities.
 When it comes to infrastructure development in developing countries, there are projects
that immediately grab attention, such as hospitals. Or the schools. And there are those that are
much more difficult to sell; sewers, for example, or prisons.
But the world's prisons are estimated to house around 10 million people around the world, and
the number is growing. Since 2004, the number of prisoners in the world has increased by 10%
and in some countries, such as Indonesia, this increase has reached 183%.
These people are not necessarily hardened criminals. About a third of prisoners worldwide are
not even found guilty: they are in custody. Rather, they are disproportionately made up of the
poorest and most marginalized groups in society, and in some places even thousands of children
live in prison with their thousands of parents. In developing countries, they are usually thrown
into old and abandoned buildings, abandonment of which leads to tragedies such as the 2012 fire,
which killed more than 300 prisoners in Honduras.
Many challenges arise when working with prisoners, such as access to legal services, the
prevention of torture and the effectiveness of the justice system. But fundamental is also the
design and construction of the buildings in which the prisoners will spend their time: the prison
itself. So what makes a good prison and why is it important to design it right?
Why is the architectural design of prisons so important from a human rights and humane
treatment perspective?
Architecture sends a silent message to anyone who enters any place. It tells you what to expect
and where the limits of the behavior are. The prisons are the same. In my opinion, design is
essential to create an environment where inmates can live and not be admitted to institutions.
This means creating spaces for family, work, study and sport.
How easy is it to persuade governments in developing countries to build well-designed
prisons?
Governments usually recognize the need, but hospitals or schools often take priority. They may
be receptive to donor funding for new prisons. But large-scale incarceration is primarily a
Western concept and donors may be tempted to build prisons like those in their own countries.
Historically, colonial powers such as the Belgians, the French and the British built prisons that
were essentially replicas of the ones they had at home.
Is this what you see on the ground? Why are these prisons so problematic?
Yes, for example in Africa, if you are familiar with 19th century British prisons, you
immediately recognize a similar arrangement in the former British colonies. Large two to three
storey buildings, long corridors. Designed with outdated and now very dilapidated detention
concepts, these prisons are still in use and their limits are exacerbated by overcrowding.
Accommodations that can hold 20 people are not uncommon, but can accommodate two or three
times more.
Why is it important to take local cultural values into consideration?
Return to the purpose of imprisonment. For example, if you want inmates to lead a more law-
abiding life when they come out of prison, it is important to design buildings so they can keep up
with customs and social life. This means factors such as food arrangements: do you sit and eat
together, do you eat in isolation in your cell? Eating alone is socially unusual in most
communities and can be alienating and legitimizing.
Is developed countries using a design from home still an issue?
Yes, this is still a problem. I know of a prison in Asia, designed by a European maximum
security prison: an isolation cell without heating. It was impossible to have a prison in this
particular place without heating, and the isolation was foreign to staff and inmates. These prisons
are underused or abandoned.
What do design teams and architects need to think about initially?
The choice of location is the first problem. Prisons should be where there are people, close to
large settlements: prisons need staff; inmates have to go to the courts, lawyers have to see their
clients; prisons depend on public services ranging from waste collection to medical services;
families must visit.
What sort of thing typically goes wrong when a prison is badly designed?
Inadequate water supply is a common problem. I know of prisons that have been built where the
water is, say, a kilometer from us, and this has not been included in the calculations, so the
prison is really unusable. It is the same with electricity.
What happens when infrastructure is badly designed or fails?
When the facility fails, inmates and staff try to find a solution. If, for example, the kitchen
doesn't work, inmates collect food from outside and start cooking in inappropriate places, such as
bedrooms. This creates hygiene and pest problems. And, like everything that is limited in
prisons, food can become currency. It will be controlled by prisoners or staff, which can lead to
abuse and corruption.
How does architecture impact the mental health of prisoners?
Varies. What we do know is that a very confined environment where inmates are isolated from
staff and from each other quickly has a negative impact on everyone. It is best to plan the
movement of staff and prisoners so that there is contact between them. Providing lessons also
helps. In some prisons I know of, companies maintain laboratories in prisons and inmates can
continue to work for them after they are released.