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Kristin Dillenburger MArch 2020
DEcarcertation Breaking the Cycle of Recidivism with Societal Prison Architecture
The goals of the criminal justice system are adjudication, retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation and restoration. However, the goal of the prison system has historically been punishment. This misalignment of goals has contributed to the recidivism cycles despite the recent efforts of the state and federal prisons. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction states their mission is to “reduce recidivism among those we touch.� Ohio correctional facilities have a wide variety of programs aimed toward reducing recidivism, yet the inmates are still housed in an obsolete prison architecture. The current architecture acts to punish, not to rehabilitate. If prisons begin to incorporate the same design principles used to design for health and well-being, the architecture will better support the overall goals and can begin to aid in rehabilitation instead of inhibiting it.