Correctional News: January/February 2025

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Editorial

Contact: sarah@wmhmedia.com

2025 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Former Secretary of Corrections for California and Pennsylvania

Executive Director, Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice Commissioner, Vermont DOC

Owner, The Dunn Group LLC

Rob Jefferys

Shawn Laughlin

Brian Lovins, Ph.D.

Kelly A. Martinez

Larome Myrick, Ph.D.

Tyrone Oliver

Wayne Salisbury

Cory Salzillo

Nneka Jones Tapia, Psy.D.

Josh Tewalt

Felice

Commissioner, New Hampshire DOC Captain, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Travis County, Texas Director, Nebraska DOC Commander, Broomfield Detention Center

Principal, Justice System Partners Sheriff, San Diego County

Executive Director, Rhode Island DCYF Commissioner, Georgia DOC Director, Rhode Island DOC

Managing Partner, WPSS Group

Managing

Asst.

STANDOUT PERSON

Todd Ishee

A/E/C

Deanna Dwenger, Psy.D., joins Elevatus Architecture as the company’s first chief behavioral health advisor. A nationally recognized expert in mental healthcare, Dwenger brings an unparalleled depth of experience in clinical leadership, policy development and integrated care systems. Previously, she served as executive director of behavioral health for the Indiana Department of Correction, leading statewide mental health and addiction recovery initiatives, and held leadership roles at Wexford Health.

Dwenger holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a forensic concentration from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and criminal justice from Indiana University.

After more than 35 years in corrections, Todd Ishee is officially retiring from his role as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. Ishee was appointed to the role in 2022 and also served as commissioner of prisons in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Ishee launched his career in Ohio, where he served for 29 years starting as a correctional officer before climbing the ranks to serve as deputy director for the Ohio Office of Reentry and Enterprise Development. Ishee will remain a member of the Correctional Leaders Association, where he is the chairperson of the Staff Wellness Committee, and will remain active in the American Correctional Association, where he serves on the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections.

With more than two decades of construction management experience in both the private and public sectors, engineer Codi Newsom, LEED AP, has been promoted from project director to Mountain Region area manager at Vanir. Newsom will work with corporate and area leadership to draw in new business and deliver innovative solutions to secure and develop successful projects. Prior to her time at Vanir, Newsom owned her own project management consulting firm and worked as a project manager for Broaddus & Associates. Newsom earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from the University of Wyoming.

MANUFACTURERS

Building on a distinguished 25-year career in corrections, Jason W. Cox has joined the ModCorr LLC team as director of quality assurance and safety. Cox has earned recognition as a senior executive leader with a broad portfolio of achievements. His experience spans numerous executive leadership roles in prison management, facilities operations, and commercial and residential construction management and development. A proud United States Army veteran, Cox exemplifies resilience, dedication and a commitment to excellence. Cox’s proven track record at the executive level, coupled with his unwavering work ethic, positions him as a professional who excels in complex and challenging environments. In this new role, Cox is eager to leverage his expertise and passion for the industry to advance corrections.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy has appointed Shawn Jenkins as the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections to help in shaping the department’s future. Before his new role, Jenkins served as the DOC’s interim commissioner, where he took a robust approach to rehabilitative programming and strengthened safety and security for staff and residents by launching impactful initiatives surrounding security, health, reentry and more.

As the premier security detention company in the United States, CML provides the highest quality SEC integration, DEC installation, and Maintenance & Support for each market we serve. From correctional facilities, to behavioral health centers and courthouses, our team of experts are dedicated to providing timely and cost-effective solutions that meet your needs and exceed your expectations.

After 27 years of dedication to the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC), serving as a correctional officer, sergeant and case manager at Utah State Prison, Sharon D’Amico has been named the new warden at Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City. D’Amico’s dedication and drive led her to rise through positions from lieutenant to captain, where she focused on housing operations as well as internal and external security. In her new role, D’Amico aims to support staff development and foster a culture of empowerment and service to uphold UDC’s vision and mission.

Washington State Governor-elect Bob Ferguson has appointed Tim Lang to serve as secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections Lang, who has served for 16 years at the corrections division of the Attorney General’s Office, offers an extensive background in legal matters surrounding corrections. Lang will work with state leadership to enhance rehabilitation, ensure safety, and promote wellbeing for staff and incarcerated people in Washington’s correctional environments.

Lang

Jenkins Cox

Newsom

Dwenger

D’Amico

Letter From the Editor Correctional News launches new columns, themes and areas of connection

By Kat Balster

Welcome to 2025! As Correctional News rolls out exciting additions to the publication, we wanted to give readers a preview of what to expect and how to engage with our content to ensure that you have all the latest industry information at your fingertips.

In July 2024, WMH Media acquired Emlen Media’s publications — including Correctional News, School Construction News, Healthcare Construction + Operations News and Green Building News. The acquisition included the introduction of a new team to support a reenergized vision to deliver relevant, timely information and exclusive resources to valued readers, subscribers and advertisers.

Meet the Leadership Team

Torrey Sims is WMH Media’s founder and president of Correctional News. Sims leads the strategic growth of the company’s family of publications. She was previously employed by Emlen Media from 2011-2018 working in various roles including managing editor and publisher. Sims has 13 years of industry experience and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Arizona State University, a Master of Arts in Journalism from DePaul University, and an advanced English literature certificate from Cambridge University. She is based in Carlsbad, Calif.

Lindsey Coulter is the editorial director at WMH Media. Coulter oversees editorial content for all WMH Media publications. She has worked in communication, writing and editing roles within the non-profit, agency, publishing, government and higher education sectors. She previously served Emlen Media as editor of School Construction News and as a reporter for Correctional News. She graduated Cum Laude from Loras College and is a Master of Fine Arts candidate at Regis College, where she studies creative non-fiction. She is based in Denver.

Sarah Clow is the director of client relations at WMH Media. Clow is responsible for WMH Media’s advertising efforts and develops tailored media buys that contribute to the goals of clients through placements within WMH Media publications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies from San Diego State University and has previously worked to support digital publications’ advertising needs for a Google Publishing Partner. She is based in San Diego.

Kat Balster is the managing editor of Correctional News. Balster joins the editorial team with a focus on delivering exclusive content to the WMH family of brands and to work closely with partners, board members and thought leaders to generate new avenues of content promotion. She has six years of direct correctional industry experience. Kat graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business from Colorado State University’s Honors Program, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in English. She is based in Northern Colorado.

What’s New

This year, readers will notice several additions to Correctional News’ content, including new sections and offerings, expanded strategic partnerships, additional networking opportunities, and areas of increased coverage and efficiencies to help support the growth and success of our readers’ and advertisers’ unique areas of business. In this issue, and throughout the year, we will introduce the reimagined and the new Industry Knowledge Council key groups will offer a greater connection point from a correctional practitioner’s standpoint and will help keep the Correctional News editorial team and readers abreast of important trends and topics impacting the justice community. To learn more about our new inductees and

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Is Trauma-Informed Design Woke?

By Stephen Carter, AICP

No one lives a completely trauma-free life, and buildings are a part of daily life. Virtually all social architecture evolved from distressing circumstances, which is a definition of trauma. Public housing, medical clinics, homeless shelters and, of course, jails are architectural expressions

of many contributing factors, but human distress contributed to the need for a built solution.

In the last several years, and I do not mean decades, trauma-informed has become the go-to word that apparently separates enlightened from dark-age thinkers. Many of the recent requests for proposal and project initiation requests have asked that a firm’s experience with trauma-informed design be addressed. Simply stated, “woke” means aware, but the word has been manipulated to be a divisive term. So, my question remains: Is trauma-informed design a woke term, or a call to arms?

The evidence-informed reality is that incarcerated persons, without exception,

have had one or more distressing events in their lives that caused their conflict with the criminal justice system — resulting in the loss of freedom. Add to that the evidence-based reality that a large percentage of incarcerated people are disadvantaged by prejudiced thinking and policy related to race, ethnicity, gender, culture and poverty. By definition and profile, this is the correctional system. Trauma prevails.

Social scientists, psychologists and behavioral scientists, among others, have now insinuated that a military-coined term, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, may also be a characteristic of incarcerated persons. Since designers are always (or should be) influenced by the professional articulation of social norms and trends, the era of trauma-informed practice is firmly established.

The reason I asked the question about “wokeness” is that I am struggling with a clear distinction between “traumainformed” and “normative design” and wondering if trauma-informed design is a woke term, a scientific term or a term of convenience. I have asked practicing professionals to describe the difference. Research suggests that traumainformed design can be qualified by the key indicators of safety and comfort; empowerment and choice; cultural relevance; accessibility; and natural elements. The underpinning principle is the creation of healing environments.

Not completely buoyed by the response from my enlightened colleagues, I went to the “holy grail” and asked AI, “What is normalization in prison design.” AI responded, “In the context of prison design, this approach (normalized design) focuses on making prison environments

more humane and supportive of rehabilitation. The key features include natural light, comfortable furnishings, open and flexible spaces, views of nature, color and zoning, art and decoration, therapeutic landscaping and human-scale design.”

On trauma-informed design, AI said, “Trauma-informed design (TiD) integrates the principles of trauma-informed care into the creation of physical spaces. The goal is to promote safety, well-being, and healing by recognizing how the environment affects individuals’ emotions and behaviors.”

In 2022, Brussels researcher Sabrina Puddu suggested that “the principle of ‘normalization’ in penology maintains that the life of people in captivity should resemble as far as possible the positive aspects of “normal” life in free society.”

Here, then, is our opportunity to continue to promote normative design principles in new and renovated correctional facilities and while doing so, create healing environments.

Architects know that the physical environment has an impact on attitude, mood and behavior because there is a strong link between our physiological state, our emotional state and the physical environment. It also means that intentionally designing and maintaining healing environments leads to

empowerment and resists retraumatizing those who have already experienced so much trauma.

Jeff Goodale, director of HOK’s global justice group and a valued friend, wrote in a 2022 article for Correctional News that “Navigating the drivers within traumainformed decisions helps to change the way we think about ‘needs’ versus ‘wants’ for a living environment and can reframe some of the things that are taken away from those in custody as being essential to their mental health and recovery.”

This was supported and expanded in an article in Justice Trends by Marayca López i Ferrer, lead justice planner with DLR Group, and Helena Pombares, architect, urban planner, criminologist, and researcher in the UK. The article argues that, “Salutogenic and biophilic design approaches are critical to creating the spaces and environment that can influence wellbeing and help people thrive mentally and physically.” Salutogenic may

not be a regular term used in prison lingo (those wordy Brits). Lopez and Pombares define the term as “the sense of coherence which is the individual attitude towards others and the environment is determined by individual circumstances. It focuses on how the built environment can help improve health and productivity, which explains why a salutogenic approach is

Designing for Youth Rehabilitation: A Look Toward 2025

By Felice Upton

In 2024, the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA) celebrated its 30th anniversary as a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving juvenile justice systems, enhancing local correctional facilities and programs, and — most importantly — promoting better long-term outcomes for youth and their families. This milestone reflects several decades of effort to reimagine juvenile rehabilitation through trauma-informed and healingcentered care, systemic improvements to secure environments, implementation of programs and interventions consistent with the principles of effective intervention and service-oriented leadership.

As we step into 2025, upcoming gatherings like the American Correctional Association and CJJA conferences offer invaluable opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Together, juvenile justice professionals are striving to align rehabilitation best practices with innovative facility design, recognizing the profound impact that physical spaces have on rehabilitation success.

Design Challenges of Youth Segregation

At Washington State’s Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), we provide residential services for youthful offenders up to age 25, requiring careful consideration of developmental differences between adolescents (12–19) and emerging adults (20–25). Brain development varies significantly within these age groups and mixing them in shared housing presents numerous challenges.

While 12-year-olds and 18-year-olds are unlikely to occupy common living spaces in most facilities, those with limited housing options often require mixed-age units. The developmental spread also complicates the delivery of educational programming. For instance, one of our facilities provides primary to post-secondary education curricula to females aged 12–25 alongside boys aged 12–17. Scaling in-person courses for such wide-ranging needs remains an ongoing struggle.

Despite these challenges, fostering environments of respect is non-negotiable. Staff must observe and consistently respond to behavioral antecedents and problematic behaviors, encourage positive interactions, and ensure that normalization of prosocial behavior occurs through frequent reinforcement in safe and supportive environments. While the co-location of genders and age groups is far from ideal, it highlights opportunities

for trauma-informed design in smaller, specialized facilities.

Historically, rehabilitative programs have also been shoehorned into typical correctional spaces that are more conducive to isolation and punishment than therapeutic interactions, frequently without significant design investments. We now know that elements such as natural light, calming colors, reductions in ambient noise, gardens and natural settings, and population separation dramatically improve experiences and outcomes for residents who have no choice but to live 24/7 in these environments. Moving forward, the focus must be on building environments that reflect both clinical best practices and our commitment to rehabilitative care.

Environments for Mental Health Support

A growing number of youth in our care present with acute and complex mental health diagnoses. The care required is usually resource-intensive and should at least be equivalent to that of an inpatient mental health unit. Yet most carceral environments are not designed or funded to provide sufficient support to meet the physical, mental or emotional needs of incarcerated youth.

In Washington, we are seeing more and more youth with increasing acuity, co-occurring illnesses and addiction issues exacerbated by the opioid crisis. Our ongoing opioid use study, now in its fifth year, aims to develop individualized care pathways by following youth post-release to assess their needs. Simultaneously, strategies like Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and multi-tiered systems of support are critical in addressing the rising demand for specialized mental health services.

As the assistant secretary for juvenile rehabilitation in the state of Washington, my goals remain clear: prevent pathways to adult incarceration and increase opportunities for positive life outcomes for the youth we serve. However, achieving these goals requires increased funding for psychiatric care from lawmakers, better access to mental health and substance use disorder services, and continuity of care coordinated through robust release and community reintegration programs.

Fostering Family Involvement

Family engagement also remains a cornerstone of effective rehabilitation. In Washington and elsewhere, functional family parole has resulted in a variety of successful outcomes for youth under community supervision, underscoring the importance of involving families in a youth’s process of healing and

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Echo Glen Children’s Center houses Washington’s first state library within a juvenile correctional setting. Designed to feel comfortable and like home, the space features reading nooks, tents, rugs and brand-new books curated for the youth.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families

The design team invited the youth to review photos of various spaces, offer feedback and test furniture options that were eventually integrated into the new

Racine County to Set a New Rehabilitative Standard

The Wisconsin community’s new trauma-informed Youth Development and Care Center will support ambitious zero-detention goals

By Lindsey Coulter

Racine County, Wis., had for years dealt with a situation experienced by many communities across the country. While the county aimed to provide incustody youth with a supportive, tailored rehabilitative environment, the facility available was ill-equipped to help meet this progressive mission. In July 2023, however, the county broke ground on what promises to be a transformative facility that gives youthful offenders the space and resources to thrive.

“Our current facility is a traditional adult correctional design and is not conducive to a Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic approach to change,” said Edward Kamin, workforce solutions manager for Racine County. “We currently have good outcomes as related to recidivism and earning educational credits, and [with this new facility] we expect those outcomes to go from good to fantastic.”

The county’s new 48-bed, 70,000-square-foot Youth Development and Care Center (YDCC), which will open in early 2025, will serve an estimated 400 boys and girls annually in a trauma-informed environment that will ultimately move the county to a zero-detention model. Achieving this goal means reducing the number of youth in detention, increasing education and resources for youth in custody, and providing a welcoming and inviting environment for healing and rehabilitation.

The facility was brought to fruition through the vision of Jonathan Delagrave, a Racine County executive who died unexpectedly in June 2024, but was a committed advocate of the project and moving away from the county’s antiquated model of juvenile rehabilitation and care.

Together with the construction team of national contractor Gilbane, the design team of Milwaukee-based RAMLOW/STEIN and national design firm Treanor was eager for the challenge to design a structure and spaces to align with this progressive vision.

Trauma-Informed Design

The concept of trauma-informed architecture, which uses design techniques to support occupants’ healing and resilience, did not exist when the county’s previous, youth facility was built. Similarly, normative design, which often integrates furniture and finishes that resemble those used in traditional non-detention settings, would not become part of the common design lexicon for years. The previous youth facility, a windowless portion of a former office building, now stands in sharp contrast to the new YDCC.

“Racine County wants to find ways to empower youth as well as their families through visitation, programming, and opportunities, creating a more community-based, normative and trauma-informed environment that supports the potential for each resident to transform,” said Andy Pitts, justice design principal with Treanor. “That means moving to a facility designed with care, intention and purpose.”

The new facility, built on a natural greenfield site, offers views to the surrounding landscape and wetlands outside and will support a teaching garden and micro nursery. Inside, it will foster innovative approaches to treatment, education, safety, family reunification and rehabilitation.

Treanor has significant experience designing for all age ranges and correctional populations, and the process of designing a highly progressive and trauma-informed space for youth required a special approach, starting with scale.

“It’s really rewarding to design facilities where kids feel safe and secure and that give them the treatment they need to stay out of the system going forward,” Pitts said. “That’s our goal and that requires working with the staff to create that environment.”

The team first looked at breaking down the size of the living units and making sure each unit had its own space where kids could move from different heights of volume

“Any chance that we have to work with the kids is really beneficial,” Pitts said. “They began to see how their contributions would become a permanent part of the space, and it gave them that sense of pride and accomplishment.”

Racine County was an enthusiastic partner in this inclusive approach from the project’s outset.

Kamin called the entire project development experience very positive. “Both the design and construction teams were a pleasure to work with,” Kamin said. “We had to make a number of key designs changes due to budget. Cuts on a passion project are never easy and both teams helped us through those design changes.”

“This client wanted to make a difference,” Pitts said. “We still had to follow Department of Corrections guidelines, but we found ways to align those guidelines with the county’s goals.”

and that responded both to their physical and emotional needs. It was also critical to attach outdoor space adjacent to housing units.

Serving the Client

In addition to working closely with facility staff members and county officials, Treanor and RAMLOW/ STEIN also went straight to the most important client population: the residents. The design team invited the youth to review photos of various spaces, offer feedback and test furniture options.

Designing for All Users

The design team took a comprehensive approach to the facility, putting as much consideration into the public spaces as it did in the more secure rehabilitative areas.

“We really focused on the approach of the building from a civic perspective,” Pitts said. “We didn’t want it to feel like a detention facility, so there is a large glass box that is adjacent to the front door, which serves as a multipurpose community space for family events and staff training.”

Racine County Youth Development and Care Center.

Photo Credit (all): Treanor

A large glass structure that is adjacent to the front door serves as a multipurpose community space for family events and staff training.

Additionally, the warm, wood-ceilinged entryway de-emphasizes the security station. The secure circular courtroom located adjacent to the public space creates an environment where all parties that are involved in the court proceedings sit in an oval layout to reinforce a positive outcome. The facility also includes a family visitation area with access to an open courtyard. Located in the middle of the building, is a larger courtyard that is both a passive and active recreation space. The design uses the building as a secure perimeter, avoiding the need for more visible and intrusive exterior fencing and security measures.

Softening Secure Areas

Within the YDCC’s secure areas, the design team put even more innovative ideas and techniques into action. Alongside traditional classrooms are vocational and life skills training areas where kids can learn barber, culinary and music skills, with the flexibility to host and other types of workforce development programming. The design team was careful to separate education and living/ recreation spaces to give kids a sense of movement and structure to their days — and to keep an emphasis on education. Materiality was significant to the project regardless of the space’s function. The design team intentionally chose non-traditional products such as 4-inch color-integrated block walls (as opposed to larger and more institutional painted block) with anti-graffiti coating to

reduce maintenance needs. Adding cross-laminated timber products further softened the environment, and colorchanging LED lights shift in color temperature throughout the day in response to kids’ psychological needs. Even the televisions were placed in locking wooden cabinets instead of plastic boxes.

“We talked a lot about textures, colors and furnishings with the staff, making sure they’re durable and respond to their needs but that are also a little bit more normative and respond to what the kids need,” Pitts said.

A Trauma-Informed Safety Approach

Typically within juvenile populations, the housing and staffing ratio is one staff member to eight residents. Recognizing that it’s not always easy to find eight kids that get along, the design team considered how the layout of the housing unit might allow for more flexibility, creating a housing unit that allows the movement of different bedrooms from different areas.

“One of the things that hopefully we’re going to find successful is how we’ve broken down the housing units,” Pitts said. “We took a different approach with this client to be able to break down the numbers.”

The design team also realized that sometimes the best rehabilitative solution

See Spotlight, page 43→

The facility also includes a family visitation area with access to an open courtyard. Located in the middle of the building, is a larger courtyard that is both a passive and active recreation space.

6 Projects to Watch for 2025

County, state and federal facilities are under construction across the country

With multiple high-profile county, state and federal projects underway across the country, Correctional News took a closer look at projects at various stages of completion. Projects represent a variety of specializations, sizes and development, and readers can follow these facilities and see more projects to watch by following the QR code below or visiting www.correctionalnews.com

Multi-million dollar justice and correctional projects are underway across the nation that will improve safety, care and outcomes for people in local, state and federal custody. Throughout 2025, Correctional News will follow these and other notable projects as they progress through planning, design, construction and occupancy.

A. O’ahu, Hawai’i O’ahu Community Correctional Center

The Hawai’i Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation aims to replace the state’s outdated O’ahu jail. The design intent is to keep adults in custody connected to their cultural values, especially Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who are disproportionately represented within the population. Plans include a 1,000-bed detention center, including mental health and medical areas, and a 300-bed transition center for skills training and reintegration support. The new jail will also incorporate areas for education, substance abuse treatment, counseling and re-entry support. The site has been established on state-owned land with community input, and most planning and land entitlement issues have been addressed. Officials are considering project delivery methods and financial or other funding resources that may be available to supplement a development team’s investment as part of a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

B. Cuyahoga County, Ohio Cuyahoga County Jail

The aging Cuyahoga County Jail is slated to be replaced by a new fourstory, L-shaped facility estimated at more than $1 billion. The new, roughly 1,900-bed facility would include three levels of more efficiently designed inmate housing (with the potential to expand) as well as new parking areas, spaces for sheriff’s department operations and offices for mental health workers. The project will move the jail from downtown to a new location outside of the city and aims to alleviate chronic overcrowding, safety issues and operational concerns. Rehabilitation spaces, which are lacking in the existing structure, are slated to include a behavioral care facility and a Release and Re-entry Resource Center. The county selected HOK to serve as criteria architect in 2021. The project delivery team includes national firms Gilbane and HDR as well as Richard L. Bowen & Associates of Cleveland.

C. Lancaster County, Pa. Lancaster County Prison

Lancaster County is aiming to build and occupy its new prison, estimated at roughly $400 million, by the end of 2027 following a nearly 5-year design, approval and construction process. The project is slated to include more than 900 beds spread across 21 housing units and 430,000 square feet on a 78-acre site. The county selected Kansas City-based architect TranSystems for the project, which will replace the existing 315,000-square-foot facility. That structure is rated for 1,085 inmates

but often exceeds capacity and is plagued by outdated mechanical systems and poor climate control and lack of ADA accessibility. The new structure will include much-needed medical facilities as well as dedicated space for juveniles and separate staff areas and increased access to natural light. Other potential features on the campus include rainwater-capture and solar energy systems.

D. Nashville, Tenn.

Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment

The Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment broke ground in August 2024, aiming to redefine service to justice-involved youth and their families. Spanning 14 acres and 270,000 square feet, the $130 million facility will house the Davidson County Juvenile Court, a pre-trial housing facility accommodating 35-40 youth daily (serving over 400 monthly) and a Respite and Assessment Center providing therapeutic care for unhoused youth. Expected to open in 2027, the campus is designed with a family-oriented, traumainformed approach, focusing on holistic and restorative justice. It will include courtrooms, offices, training areas, and landscaped courtyards alongside facilities for community outreach, public defenders, state attorneys, child services, victim services, court advocates, foster care, mediation and information technology. Central utility plants, new site infrastructure and a 600-vehicle parking garage are also included.

Targeting LEED Gold certification, the project is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, DLR Group and Smith Gee Studio. Bell Construction has been contracted as the construction manager.

E. Boise, Idaho

Idaho State Women’s Prison Project

The State of Idaho is planning to construct a new 848-bed women’s prison, featuring 50 medium-custody beds with the rest designated for minimum custody. Valued at approximately $112 million, the design-build project is led by Okland Construction and HOK. The facility is designed to resemble student housing rather than a traditional prison, focusing on rehabilitation and re-entry programs. It will also include a new reception and diagnostic unit, along with additional medical beds for female inmates. The project will address the current practice of housing state inmates in county jails, which lack the rehabilitative and reentry programs provided by the Idaho Department of Correction. Many lowrisk inmates are being held in overly restrictive settings, leading to unnecessary state expenses. By transferring these inmates to the new facility, Idaho aims to reduce costs while providing essential rehabilitative services and improving outcomes. The project is currently in design with the state and the DBE with no estimated completion date.

F. Leavenworth, Kan.

Federal Correctional Institution Leavenworth and Federal Prison Camp

The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Leavenworth and Federal Prison Camp are under construction east of the historic penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. The $532 million project, led by Clark Construction Group, is scheduled for completion in May 2026. The new facility will house 1,400-1,500 inmates and employ 340 staff members. Designed by Elevatus and HOK, it replaces the original penitentiary built in 1897, the nation’s first maximum-security prison. The new institution will focus on modernizing incarceration and rehabilitation practices, providing enhanced educational, vocational and fellowship programs as well as mental health and physical wellness services. The facility aims to create safer conditions for staff members and inmates while supporting the Department of Justice’s mission to ensure public safety and offer humane incarceration environments.

DESIGN ROUNDTABLE

Designing for Change: Future of Justice Architecture

Four justice architects weigh in on trends, challenges, and innovations shaping correctional facility design

By Kat Balster

As the justice system evolves, so must the environments in which it operates. Four justice architects joined Correctional News’ design roundtable to delve into the latest trends, challenges, and standout projects influencing the future of justice architecture. Bill Valdez, PE, DBIA, partner at KMB Architects of Seattle; Tony Vie, AIA, partner at Elevatus Architecture in Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Jim Beight, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, senior principal and justice lead at Dewberry; and Frank Greene, FAIA, OAA, IIDA, NOMA, vice president and justice lead for STV of New York, provided insights from their extensive knowledge working in corrections architecture.

What do you think the most significant design trend for 2025 will be?

GREENE: A key trend will be a continued focus on adding capacity to address the often co-occurring medical, mental health and behavioral health needs of people in custody. With the

awareness that safely housing people is only part of the solution, these programs require thoughtfully designed spaces and appropriate technology to be effective.

VIE: Human-centered design that prioritizes dignity, rehabilitation, and community reintegration. While justice facilities will always need to prioritize safety and security without compromise, this trend reflects a paradigm shift, emphasizing environments that support positive behavioral change while still maintaining robust security and operational efficiency.

VALDEZ: Continued design progression of normative design elements in correctional and justice environments. We are seeing the inclusion of color, biomimicry, wood and other natural materials into most of our correctional projects including juvenile, adult, special custody and mental health populations. The utilization of large-format graphics and resident-assisted artwork has been an increasingly utilized element in many of our correctional and justice projects.

BEIGHT: A continuation of building facilities with appropriate treatment environments.

PRO BLEMS?

There has been a recent push for new Department of Health crossovers with the Department of Corrections for many states’ forensic populations for competency restoration services for individuals referred by courts. These facility designs are typically required to meet The Joint Commission (TJC) and Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) requirements, which create a more robust treatment environment and treatment-focused operations. We are seeing countywide master plans that include more thought on diversion for those with physical, behavioral, or mental health challenges,

which is hopeful as these master plans are funded and move toward reality.

What are some significant challenges facing justice architects today?

GREENE: One ongoing challenge is balancing the imperative to reduce cost with the larger lifecycle and futureproofing needs of justice facilities.

“Getting it right” requires collaboration between an experienced architect and a committed owner to deliver a project that stands the test of time.

For example, “rear-chase” or “borrowed-light” housing units, which allow for reduced square footage and easier maintenance (i.e., providing plumbing chase access from outside the secure zone), offer clear cost benefits. However, they come at the expense of the daily experience of people in custody, especially when combined with enclosed recreation spaces and multi-occupant cells. Instead, it’s vital to create spaces that come with privacy to support acts of contemplation and restoration.

Overcoming the institutional feel of correctional environments in pursuit of a normalized experience is another important objective. Our buildings, even in dense urban environments, can be designed to prioritize access to natural daylight, enhancing the daily experience with changing light and views to the outside.

VIE: Justice architects are challenged to design facilities that align with modern values while meeting operational needs. There is a growing emphasis on rehabilitation over punitive measures, but the need for uncompromising safety and security remains non-negotiable. This requires innovative, humancentered design that incorporates dignity, supporting programming, education, and treatment under the central mission of security and maintaining operational efficiency.

A critical challenge is addressing the mental health and behavioral needs of justice-involved individuals. Therapeutic spaces for counseling, crisis intervention, and sensory modulation must seamlessly integrate into the broader facility design while adhering to budgetary and operational constraints, ensuring they do not compromise security.

Community integration and perception also remain critical considerations. To

address this, we focus on designing buildings that harmonize with their surroundings and provide public-facing spaces like meeting rooms or shared-use areas that foster a positive relationship with the community. Stakeholder engagement plays a huge role in overcoming these hurdles. Facilitating open dialogue and finding common ground can be challenging but is essential for ensuring the facility meets everyone’s needs.

VALDEZ: In the Pacific Northwest, many of our correctional facilities at the municipal level are of a very similar age. Thus, they have all worn and aged at the same rate, which means they are all failing at similar times. There is a large pent-up demand for expansion and/or replacement of these aging structures with new facilities that [provide] the current mental health and medical-focused services that [newer] correctional facilities are providing to their communities. Therefore, the major challenge is broad community support to fund these capital projects.

BEIGHT: The justice hiring market continues to be a challenge. At Dewberry, we aim to attract and grow talent by focusing on recovery and rehabilitation, creating designs focused on therapeutic, humane and transformational environments. Our justice architecture and engineering team members are active in AIA AAJ and ACA and participate in committees that review and develop new standards that point facility design toward the goal of rehabilitation. In addition, our nationwide team meets virtually every other week to discuss best practices, exciting projects and the practical application of our design — as well as bi-annually in-person. Attending the Corrections Summit is an annual highlight. It connects us more deeply to construction professionals, clients and the architecture, engineering and construction industry involved in the justice market. Another challenge has been project funding. Prices have not yet stabilized and with mega correctional projects in New York, Alabama and potentially other states in the next few years, the logistics of long lead times on detention materials and products may be affected. Many projects in their early design and planning phases have a funding deficit due to outdated cost-per-square-foot metrics and a lack of

VALDEZ BEIGHT

GREENE VIE

Editorial Advisory Board 2025

By Lindsey Coulter

Meet the 2025 Editorial Advisory Board

This year is significant for Correctional News, as the publication is under new ownership, expanded its editorial team, reimagined its content, and is elevating new voices and ideas. Building on this transformation, Correctional News has developed two new advisory groups to ensure that, moving forward, the publication is even more attuned to and reflective of the community it serves.

Introducing the New Editorial Advisory Board

Correctional News is building on its commitment to bridge the gap between correctional leaders/ practitioners and the architecture, engineering, construction, and vendor communities by refocusing and expanding the Editorial Advisory Board. This group now comprises sitting directors, sheriffs, and justice advocates and representatives from non-profit or government advocacyrelated professional organizations. Members will share insights and perspectives with readers throughout the year, authoring articles and providing critical context on projects, trends, policy shifts and progress.

Follow the QR code or visit www. correctionalnews. com to read full EAB bios.

Honoring Outgoing Editorial Advisory Member Ken McGinnis

Ken McGinnis, senior vice president (emeritus) of CGL Companies, has been a valued advisor and contributor to Correctional News. Since starting his career in 1971, he has served as chief administrative officer for Illinois and Michigan corrections, overseeing diverse operations. In the private sector, he has supported state, federal and county corrections. As he nears retirement, McGinnis will step down from the Editorial Advisory Board. Correctional News thanks him for his decades of partnership, leadership and expertise.

McGinnis

JOIN US IN WELCOMING THE 2025 Editorial Advisory Board

Jeff Beard Former Secretary of Corrections for California and Pennsylvania

Edwardo Jackson Captain, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Travis County, Texas Former President, Texas Jail Association

Kelly A. Martinez Sheriff, San Diego County

Cory Salzillo Managing Partner, WPSS Group

Tim Ward Former Commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections, Member, Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles

Rob Jefferys Director, Nebraska Department of Corrections President, Correctional Leaders Association

Larome Myrick, Ph.D. Executive Director, Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families

Nneka Jones Tapia, Psy.D. Managing Director for Justice Initiatives, Chicago Beyond

Shawn Laughlin Commander, Broomfield Detention Center President, American Jail Association Board of Directors

Tyrone Oliver Commissioner, Georgia Department of Corrections

Josh Tewalt Director, Idaho Department of Corrections

Brian Lovins, Ph.D. Principal, Justice System Partners

Wayne Salisbury Director, Rhode Island Department of Corrections

Felice Upton Assistant Secretary of Juvenile Rehabilitation, Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families

Nicholas Deml Commissioner, Vermont Department of Corrections

Helen Hanks Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Corrections

Bryan Collier Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Jeff Dunn Owner, The Dunn Group LLC Former Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections

Introducing the New Industry Knowledge Council

The publication’s newly established Industry Knowledge Council (IKC) is composed of professionals who represent the design, construction, manufacturing and owner representation sectors of the correctional and justice industry. Members will serve as vital links between the Correctional News editorial team, the Editorial Advisory Board and the publication’s avid readership. Throughout the year, members will share their deep industry knowledge by contributing to the publication, serving as industry/publication advocates, and helping to advance justice-related concepts and insights with readers. Follow the QR code or visit www.correctionalnews.com to read full IKC bios.

Doug Beichley Senior Design Manager, JE Dunn

Jeff Goodale, AIA Director of Civic and Justice, HOK

Rick Lewis National Sales Manager, Willoughby Industries

Dan O’Donnell Public Safety Advisor, Willo Products

Stephen Carter, AICP Founder and Executive Vice President, CGL

Frank Greene, FAIA Vice President and Justice Lead, STV

Roger Lichtman, AIA Senior Vice President, Justice Sector Lead, AECOM

Greg Offner Consultant

Mitch Claborn President, Cornerstone Detention Products Inc.

Serina Greene Vice President, Sustainable Security Solutions Inc.

Brooke Martin, AIA Associate and Project Manager, Justice and Secure Healthcare, Dewberry

Bruce Omtvedt, AIA Corrections and Detention Market Sector Leader, Dewberry

Tamara Clarke, AIA SVP and Director of Design Services, CGL

Tim Hancock Executive Director of Justice, Vanir

David McRoberts, CPP Independent Consultant, Assured Assessments Inc.

Beverly Prior, FAIA Vice President, Justice Lead, AECOM

Gerry Guerrero Global Director, Justice + Civic, HDR

Andy Johnson President, Lydig Construction

Bob Hampe President and Chief Executive Officer, Actall

Scott Kernan CEO, LEO Technologies

Stephanie Miner Vice President of Sales, Acorn Engineering

TJ Rogers Chief Executive Officer, Accurate Controls

Gary Mohr Senior Fellow, CGL

Johns President, ModCorr

Lanham, AIA Civic Principal, Lionakis

Noecker Vice President, CML Security

Mike Smith President and CEO, SteelCell

Stelling Global Justice and Civic Leader, Senior Principal, DLR Group

Buddy

Carol

Brett

Darrell

Announcing Industry Awards to Celebrate Emerging and Longtime Leaders

Nominations will be collected through August, and winners will be announced at the annual Corrections Summit

By Lindsey Coulter

In fall 2025, Correctional News will recognize outstanding members of the correctional and justice community with a series of prestigious new awards. These honors celebrate exemplary professionals across the architecture, engineering, construction, vendor, subcontractor, manufacturer and facility owner/operator spectrum, specifically celebrating those who have demonstrated leadership and vision, driving the industry toward progress and continual improvement.

30 Over 30 Years Recognition

Correctional News is excited to honor the top 30 professionals who have contributed more than 30 years of service to the industry. This award elevates those who have dedicated their careers to justice and corrections work and are committed to fostering a new generation of leaders.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The new Lifetime Achievement Award will honor one individual annually who has made a lasting and significant impact on the corrections and justice industry. Winners of this prestigious award are dedicated to driving improvement and innovation. They are leaders, mentors and collaborators who have left an indelible mark on the industry.

Next-Generation Trailblazers

Also new for 2025 is the Next-Generation Trailblazers Award. Correctional News will name the industry’s top 10 professionals who have worked in the industry for 10 years or fewer. The award aims to recognize and elevate emerging talent and to foster a new generation of leaders across the architecture, engineering, construction, vendor, subcontractor,

Announcing the Winners

All

manufacturer and facility owner/operator spectrum.

Emerging Leader Award

The new Emerging Leader Award will honor one exemplary individual annually from the pool of NextGeneration Trailblazers nominees who has made a significant impact on the corrections and justice industry. Winners of this prestigious award are dedicated to driving improvement and innovation. They are learners, leaders and collaborators who constantly strive for progress and aim to push the industry toward progress and efficiency.

Winner Selection

The Correctional News Editorial team, members of the Editorial Advisory Board and members of the Industry Knowledge Council will select all honorees according to:

• Breadth and scope of service and impact

• Examples of industry leadership and innovation

• Demonstrated commitment to the positive advancement of the justice industry

• Other industry contributions (presentations, white papers/ articles, committee/association leadership, mentorship, etc.)

How to Nominate

Nominations for all awards will be accepted through Aug. 31. Correctional News welcomes nominations from peers, colleagues, and industry professionals. Self-nominations are also encouraged.

To nominate, please visit www.correctionalnews.com and select the corresponding nomination form. Correctional News accepts multiple nominations for the same person and multiple nominations by the same nominator. Anonymous nominations will not be accepted.

Saline County Kansas Justice Center

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

STATE OF NEBRASKA

REPORT DIRECTOR’S

An Inside Look at the Process to Bring Nebraska’s Newest Prison Online

By Rob Jeffreys

I believe that successful rehabilitation and reentry are not just a corrections responsibility; they are the responsibility of an entire state.

This whole-state collaboration — from supportive state leaders to committed community partners to businesses invested in second change hiring — creates the kind of environment where men and women returning to our communities after incarceration can build a successful life outside of prison.

To support this, in 2024 the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) joined Reentry 2030, a national initiative uniting leaders across the country to improve reentry success for people with criminal records, and has adopted TRANSFORM Nebraska, a holistic framework for rehabilitation. While much of our work is focused on reentry and life on the “outside,” the correctional facilities themselves have a tremendous ability to support transformative change.

Particularly over the past decade, Nebraska has prioritized investments in its correctional physical plants, both through major facility renovations and by adding on to existing facilities.

Like many correctional systems, Nebraska faces challenges with aging infrastructure, which not only brings frequent mechanical, electrical, and plumbing issues, but often, those building layouts do not align with current staffing models and a rehabilitative focus.

Facility Improvements and Progress

Our biggest question as of late has been the future of the Nebraska State Penitentiary, which is the state’s oldest correctional facility. It opened in 1869, and although additions and renovations have been completed over the years, significant maintenance issues and the physical plant layout continue to be challenges.

First, we evaluated the current physical plant and assessed if it made more sense to renovate the existing facility or build a replacement facility. One factor in this decision was the challenge of completing construction in an active correctional facility. To do the project safely, security fencing would have to be built around the work area before construction could begin and then removed after construction was complete. This would result in additional time and cost to the project as well as logistical challenges for movement within the facility.

Another consideration was space constraints. If there is sufficient green space at an existing facility, larger

portions of the project can be completed at the same time, bringing better construction pricing and a quicker construction timeline. However, if there is limited green space, renovation or teardown of existing buildings must happen one-by-one, which doubles the construction timeline and is much more costly.

During this process, we brought in construction experts to assess the status of the current buildings and determine what would be needed to bring the facility up to today’s construction standards.

Ultimately, the answer became clear: It was time for a new facility to replace the Nebraska State Penitentiary. We saw this as an incredible opportunity to build exactly what we need to support our mission. Experts in the areas of vocational, medical, food service, educational, and other support services helped us to develop a program statement for a facility that will best align with our rehabilitative mission.

Throughout the process of selecting a site location and creating plans for the new facility, driven by the design team at Omaha, Neb.-based DLR Group, we have had incredible support from our Nebraska state leaders. In August of 2024 we broke ground for the facility, and were honored to have both Gov. Jim Pillen and Lieutenant Gov. Joe Kelley attend the ceremony, along with directors of several Nebraska state agencies.

At that event, Gov. Pillen proudly noted, “Today is a day where Nebraska will be viewed as a leader across the country in how we help people get back to being productive citizens and make an incredible difference in their families. There is nothing more rewarding and more gratifying than having transformative change. This is an investment for Nebraska, for the people and families of Nebraska.”

A facility like this will be a true investment — and I believe a game changer in our work of preparing individuals for successful reentry.

The Future of Nebraska Corrections

With this building project, we have the tremendous opportunity to design a physical plant layout that directly supports our rehabilitative mission. One feature will be spaces for programming directly in housing units, allowing for more programs to happen inside the facility. Support buildings on the campus will house additional program rooms, classrooms and vocational spaces, underscoring the importance of providing opportunities for change.

As a modern correctional building, the facility will focus on the elements that support successful rehabilitation and reentry, including ample natural light introduced via solar tubes, clerestory windows, softer color palettes and wall graphics to bring more natural colors and scenes into the buildings. The focus on natural light and nature aims to connect the incarcerated population and staff with the outside and create a space that invites rehabilitation. We are using construction techniques and materials that improve acoustics throughout the building and minimize noise levels. All the buildings

will use energy-efficient lighting to ensure that light levels are appropriate but not excessive. Climate-controlled areas will enhance the indoor air quality for both the incarcerated population and staff.

With these physical plant considerations, we intend to reduce stress levels and support the mental and physical wellbeing of the incarcerated population and staff, leading to improved rehabilitation and enhanced staff recruitment and retention.

At NDCS, we focus our work on four key areas: people, programs, policies and physical plant. This physical plant project will play a pivotal role in supporting each of those areas and will set the stage for the future of rehabilitation in Nebraska — and across the country.

This building will be an extensive project that will require a tremendous amount of collaboration over the next several years as we work to develop a facility that will bring transformative change. Challenge accepted.

Rob Jeffreys is the director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS). Director Jeffreys has more than 28 years of correctional experience and oversees an agency with approximately 5,500 incarcerated individuals, leads a workforce of 2,300 team members and serves as a member of Gov. Pillen’s cabinet.

The new Nebraska State Penitentiary will focus on modern design and prepare individuals for successful reentry. Photo Credit (all): Caralea Shutter

adequate escalation increases, as it has been hard for clients and the industry to anticipate, and in some cases accept, these increases.

BEIGHT: The field of architectural justice design offers an emerging professional the opportunity to make a strong impact on society through the development of facilities that foster positive social change for the individual. Giving an individual the opportunity to turn their life around and become a contributing member of their community

is a noble cause. It is important to understand that much work lies ahead, and I would recommend looking at this field through the lens of moving a giant ship: Things take time for true change to occur. In that regard, we’ve seen a lot of positive change in this field, specifically over the last 10 years challenging the status quo, which has been for the betterment of humanity. Many states and counties have responded to do their part by agreeing to better environments. It’s an exciting time. Joining the field now

provides opportunities to support these efforts that benefit communities.

How have you seen the industry change over the past five to 10 years?

GREENE: The widespread acceptance of a therapeutic, restorative approach offers new hope for using the justice system as an opportunity to change lives. Also, the need of wraparound programs that address the whole person and are tailored to individual needs has gained

broad support across the industry, with a growing demand for buildings designed to enhance the impact of these programs. Additionally, integrated project delivery approaches that foster partnerships and teamwork across project teams have gained traction. Publicprivate partnerships are among the most advanced forms of project delivery, particularly when performance-based, where monthly payments to the provider are conditional on the performance of a building’s elements. This approach protects the value of the asset, maintaining a “like new” condition at the end of a 20or 30-year lease period.

VIE: The justice design industry has experienced massive changes over the past decade. There’s been a clear shift toward human-centric and rehabilitative environments, with designs that prioritize natural light, calming materials, and spaces dedicated to mental health services and substance abuse recovery programs. Technology has also revolutionized the industry, with advanced systems enhancing security and enabling innovations like remote courtrooms and virtual visits. At the same time, staff wellness has become a critical focus, with facilities now including thoughtfully designed spaces to support those working in demanding, high-stress environments. Collaboration has also taken center stage, with community groups, corrections professionals and other stakeholders working together to create spaces that reflect a wide range of needs.

VALDEZ: The need for specialized environments to support mental health, stabilization, community resource connection and therapeutic services that are all common place in new facilities. Quiet and blue rooms have become required program spaces within correction, law enforcement and judicial facilities recently, which allow for the calming and de-escalation of high stress situations and environments, to name one specific example.

BEIGHT: We have seen the corrections continuum-of-care and trajectory continue to move away from punitive environments toward recovery-based operations and designs. Our clients desire to integrate as much healthcare, education and training as possible for not only those in custody but for their staff. Staff recruitment, retention and training continue to be challenging given that other opportunities often provide higher pay and less stress or less exposure to risk/injury. This results in high turnover, and many facilities don’t have enough staff or space large enough for training. Designing facilities that incorporate incentivized staff spaces is critical to attract new talent. Additionally, a lack of public support for the necessary funding of these facilities often leaves many clients only able to marginally improve upon the bare minimum. The justice A/E/C industry continues to push for funding decisions that are evidencebased while keeping budgets and funding paramount to the project balance. Having all parties come to agreement takes time, and the industry has been providing increased client and public education over the last five to 10 years.

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Transforming Corrections

A decade of strategic planning revolutionizes inmate care and operational philosophy at the James A. Karnes Corrections Center

By Kat Balster

Over the past decade, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has embarked on a transformative journey to reimagine its approach to justice. Located in Columbus, Ohio — and within a region deeply affected by the opioid epidemic — the county set out to revolutionize justice operations with the construction of a state-of-the art correctional center. Through collaboration with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), design and construction experts, and local stakeholders, the resulting James A. Karnes Corrections Center is a testament to modern, humane correctional practices and efficient design.

Franklin County started its journey with two legacy facilities: Franklin County Correctional Facility, known as ‘the downtown jail’ and the satellite jail Franklin County Correctional Facility II, or ‘Jackson Pike.’

“The downtown jail was in the worst shape; we were keeping it together with paper clips and rubber bands,” said Franklin County Jail Administrator Chief Geoffrey Stobart. “To close that facility, we had to build the core of the new jail to support the full build-out.”

Phase I of construction, therefore, established the infrastructure to support a full 2,800-bed facility that would eventually consolidate the housing and operations of both legacy facilities. The first phase entailed intake/booking, kitchen, laundry, administrative spaces and support spaces. The housing in Phase I also included specialneeds housing, medical and behavioral health spaces and several orientation units as well as high-custody segregation and disciplinary detention areas.

A Foundation of Collaboration

Information- and knowledge-gathering were critical to the project’s success. Franklin County participated in the NIC’s Planning of New Institutions (PONI) and How to Open a New Institution (HONI) programs and implemented many recommendations. The county also tapped DLZ Architecture of Columbus, Ohio, to conduct a 2009 operational assessment of the existing facilities, formally hiring the firm as architect

of record in 2015. DLZ brought in global firm HDR to serve as the design architect providing programming, schematic design and electronics security system design. Additionally, Franklin County developed a “CORE Team” of sheriff’s office employees who were devoted to supporting the planning, design, construction and transition processes. Through NIC funding, county officials also toured more than 50 jails across the country to glean ideas.

“They looked for the best solution to make a difference for the inmates and staff,” said Eric Ratts, vice president with DLZ. “They left no stone unturned to find the best answer for every problem.”

Phased Construction for Adaptive Needs

While Phase I of construction included the infrastructure for a 2,800-bed facility, and 867 specialty and maximum-security beds to close the downtown jail, Phase II focused on women’s housing and gender-responsive design.

“Women have a much different path to incarceration than men,” Stobart said. “Ninety percent of the women who cycle through the jail have suffered some kind of trauma.”

As Stobart and his team visited jails across the country, they spoke to incarcerated women and gathered ideas to implement in their new facility, such as providing a hairwashing station, reducing the size of the housing units, creating spaces for women to gather and socialize, and even providing non-detention-grade mirrors.

Phase II ultimately included 420 beds, but the largest housing unit comprises only 43 beds rather than 64 — the average for direct supervision.

“We discussed the importance of having different areas within the housing units for seating, for socializing and for the groupings of individuals,” said David Bostwick, project executive for HDR. “We started talking about the materials and the color selection and eventually one of the folks asked, ‘Why we can’t do this in the men’s housing unit as well?’”

Large murals depicting scenes of nature in the housing units provide a biophilic connection to nature for inmates in even the most restrictive units. | Photo Credit (all): Megan Ratts Photography

The control room is designed to mimic emergency control, with each desk serving as an independent station over designated areas and large screens that can be matrixed to offer various views, increasing overall security in the facility.

The orientation unit serves as a 72-hour holding space for in-depth assessments of inmate needs to ensure those in custody receive the appropriate treatment and to maximize the efficiency of programming.

As a result, many of the elements initially devised for the women’s spaces were carried throughout the facility.

The joint venture of Gilbane + Smoot served as the construction manager. Gilbane led construction while Smoot helped with phasing and estimating as well as on-site time. Cornerstone Detention installed detention equipment and Pauly Jail Building Company furnished and installed cells from SteelCell North America.

Through the design process, the primary project team was fully engaged in collaborative workshops to create a model 2,800-bed facility within an economical 23-acre footprint, developing two operational levels and a multilevel staff parking garage.

The exterior is comprised of precast concrete panels, which serve as the jail’s primary security wall, eliminating the need for a second concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall. This reduced construction costs and exceeded the design of reinforced CMU. Phase I opened in July 2022, and Phase II was approved for occupation in October 2024.

The project received LEED Silver certification, making it one of the largest jail facilities in the world to earn the designation. Using energy-efficient systems and sustainable materials will also reduce long-term operational costs.

Rehabilitation and Normalization

County commissioners in particular challenged the design team to be smart, progressive and to create a facility that could serve as a national model.

“We envisioned this new jail as an opportunity to approach corrections differently — to provide true and lasting benefit and value to the community by developing a building program that responds to detention rehabilitation, mental health, behavioral management and being an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient facility,” Ratts said.

The facility design responds to that program by including direct-supervision housing pods, ample classrooms, indoor/outdoor recreation, de-escalation rooms, etc. An emphasis was placed on natural light, views, and use of textures and color to create a normalized environment.

As most people who come through the facility leave in a few days, connecting them with resources such as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid addictions, programming for mental and behavioral health, and counseling, educational, vocational and spiritual programs was paramount, starting at intake. Additionally, each housing pod has a classroom, two counseling rooms and a recreation area. There is a centralized programming area that has additional classrooms as well as a computer room and workstations for volunteers. Interior finishes, color palettes, furniture and fixtures throughout were selected to create a normative environment. HDR also utilized traumainformed and biophilic design principles and incorporated wood-look materials, carpet tiles and rubber flooring.

“An important decision was to use murals and scenes of nature in all the housing units,” Bostwick said. “In the intake area, the design team took the concept a step further by creating an outdoor courtyard next to [an open waiting area].”

Detainees with similar programming needs are also placed in the same housing units, which allows for more efficient, effective operations and programming. Locating medical triage rooms in every housing unit provides direct care without having to transfer inmates throughout the facility. Franklin County also placed on-demand Gatorade stations in the facility in addition to providing water.

“Many people are dying in America’s jails from opioid withdrawal because they are dehydrated,” Stobart explained. “We want them to have electrolytes and drink all they want.”

The impacts of the design and new approach are already evident. Franklin County has seen decreases in inmate-on-inmate assaults, inmate-on-staff assaults, uses of force and disciplinary actions.

The project also included a separate Rapid Resources Center (RRC) which provides connection and resources for newly discharged inmates re-entering the community. Individuals can also charge their cell phones, get a meal and receive housing resources and medication and benefits assistance upon release. A later part of the project will include a crisis care center where law enforcement officers can take people experiencing mental health or drug/alcohol crises, rather taking them directly to jail. With the potential impact that facility could have on incarceration numbers, the county is waiting to finalize its jail bed count.

“Some folks are cycling through our doors in less than 24 hours,” Stobart said. “This helps to catch those folks that we can’t get to while they’re behind our walls.”

Innovations for Staff

Franklin County also implemented improvements to benefit the staff members, who spend more time within the jail walls than most inmates, increasing natural light, adding an atrium within the booking area, integrating softer lighting and addressing acoustics. Staff members also have new, larger lockers that include charging outlets, and they can enjoy a dedicated wellness center and indoor/outdoor dining space.

The unique tiered seating central control area monitors all 2,800 beds, and all seats function as dispatch stations with dedicated monitors and areas of control. A video wall can be matrixed as needed for ease of supervision.

Staff are provided with their own indoor/ outdoor dining space.

Each of the new housing units features a different color palette and normative elements to create a calming and therapeutic environment.

A variety of seating options, woodlook furniture and paneling reduce the institutional feel of the facility.

Wood paneling on the ceiling, natural light, and murals in the recreation room featured heavily in the design of housing units.

The Rapid Resource Center provides connection and resources for newly discharged inmates re-entering the community.

Strategic Operational Philosophy

The James A. Karnes Corrections Center was the first facility in the country to implement the NIC’s Strategic Inmate Management (SIM) principles, adopting a new operational philosophy that focuses on safety for detainees, staff and visitors. SIM seeks to encourage positive behavior among inmates through continuous staff interaction, setting expectations of behavior and keeping inmates productively occupied.

SIM and the facility design work together to reduce physical barriers that impede staff/inmate interaction, provide clear sight lines, and incorporate normalized furnishings, fixtures, colors and finishes that promote positive inmate behavior. Representatives from all 50 states have toured the facility and observed the operational changes. When visitors express awe, Stobart reminds them that success didn’t happen overnight.

“This was a 10-year process,” Stobart said. “We not only changed our physical plant but significantly changed our operational philosophy. That was the harder part: changing a culture.”

SIM redefines standard correctional operations, moving facilities from ‘custody and control’ to a ‘care and custody’ model proven to result in a safer and more humane environment for inmates and staff. For Franklin County, it meant moving from indirect to direct supervision and shifting staff mindsets.

Strategic Inmate Management Principles Include:

•Assessing the risk and need each inmate presents to develop strategies to more effectively manage their behavior

•Using risk and needs assessments to make informed housing decisions and to classify inmates to facilitate behavior management

•Providing services to avoid behavior problems that can result from a perceived deficiency of basic human needs

•Defining and conveying expectations for inmate behavior

Expanding the Vision

Phase III of the project will establish housing for the general men’s population and bring all corrections operations under one roof. Once completed, Franklin County will close Franklin County Correctional Facility II. At every phase, however, the County has completed an assessment to ensure the project remained aligned with its needs. County officials are awaiting final Phase III construction approval from commissioners, but even now the James A. Karnes Corrections Center stands as a national model for modern correctional facilities, blending innovative design, strategic operations and a commitment to humane treatment. Franklin County’s focus on collaboration, sustainability and rehabilitation offers a blueprint for the future of corrections and has been recognized throughout the state and the country as a cutting-edge example that transformative change is possible through thoughtful planning and a shared vision.

PROJECT DATA

Project Name: Franklin County James A. Karnes Corrections Center

Facility Type: County Jail

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Square Footage: Approximately 600,000 GSF

Total Project Cost: $320 million

Bed Count: 1,285 (2,800 at full build-out)

Project Delivery Method: Construction Manager

Cell Construction Type: CMU with steel wall panels and modular steel cells

Owner: Franklin County Board of Commissioners

Lead Firm: DLZ Architecture Inc.

Architect of Record: DLZ Architecture Inc.

Design Architect and Programmer: HDR

Interior Design: HDR

Landscape Architect of Record: DLZ Architecture Inc.

Mechanical Engineer of Record: DLZ Architecture Inc.

Plumbing Engineer of Record: DLZ Architecture Inc.

Structural Engineer of Record: AE Group Inc.

Electrical Engineer of Record: AEC

Security Electronics Design: HDR

Civil Engineer: MS Consultants

Owner’s Representative: Pizzuti Solutions

Construction Manager: Gilbane | Smoot Joint Venture

Detention Equipment Contractor: Cornerstone, Pauly Jail Building Company

Food Service and Laundry Design: Vorndran and Associates

Security Electronics Contractor: Johnson Controls

PRODUCT DATA

Correctional Furniture: Real Time Detention, Norix, Modern Detention

Detention Accessories: Real Time Detention, Norix, Modern Detention

Security Systems: Johnson Controls

Security Glazing: Global Security Glazing

Security Windows: Hope’s Windows Inc.

Security Cell Doors: Titan Steel Door

Security Screens: Kane Innovations

Security Fencing: Kane Innovations

Security Locks: RR Brink, Airteq

Security Penal Plumbing: Willoughby

Cells: SteelCell North America

Exterior Finish: High Concrete

Doors: Titan Steel Door

Having scaled its operations, the company maintains a workforce of 40 employees and has continued to develop its reputation for locking system expertise and for placing a premium on customer service, execution, delivery and results.

Eighty Years of Excellence

Willo Products reflects on its evolution and prepares to debut new detention solutions in 2025

By Lindsey Coulter

Willo Products of Decatur, Ala., is in the business of safety and security, centered on cell-door locking systems. The company has seen a lot of evolution across its 80 years of operation and is excited to kick off its ninth decade of manufacturing high-quality detention locking systems, hard-wired door control solutions, parts and services.

After decades in business, the detention-specific manufacturer is even more invested in listening and responding to the ever-evolving needs of justice and correctional owners and operators. In 2024, Willo issued a nationwide survey asking about correctional leaders’ general experiences with facility locks. Roughly 50% of respondents said that they had experience with locks being tampered with or compromised, and about 64% reported experiences with doors that seemed locked but were not — posing significant security threats. The survey also reiterated that door and lock security is often the single largest day-to-day security concern for correctional officers but is often just as important for incarcerated people themselves. Malfunctioning locks are often cited as a contributing factor to institutional violence or death, and Willo solutions aim to mitigate this risk.

A Focus on Quality

Willo has found its detention niche by providing high-quality locking systems for swinging and sliding cell

doors in jails and prisons. The company also provides detention controls and maintains a thriving service and parts division that offers service contracts as well as onetime repairs.

“The problem with door lock security is that it’s an ever-evolving situation inside prisons and jails,” said Russell Roberts, chief operating officer. “Door lock security consistently remains under attack through abuse and through day-to-day activity. We are constantly evolving our technology, engineering new solutions, and designing new features to prevent and thwart those attempts, so that both correctional officers and those incarcerated are in a safe environment.”

The company has become particularly well known for its innovative Willo Wedge. The product was invented in response to a customer that was struggling to maintain the security of narrow jamb locks on its facility’s swinging doors. Willo assessed the situation and engineered a tailored solution to solve the client’s problem.

“We were able to pull the narrow jamb lock out of the frame, offset it, surface mount it and install a grade-one maximum lock,” Roberts explained. “This was not only a more secure solution, but it was less expensive than replacing the narrow jamb lock alone.”

Company Evolution

Willo Products was originally founded in 1945 as a steel fabrication company. In the early days, it produced fuel tanks and offered specialty steel fabrication for

farmers and local industries, later moving into the structural steel market and providing beams for bridges and power plants. In the 1960s, the company first entered the detention market.

“Back in those days, a jail was built out of steel,” said President Dave Wood, who has been with the company for more than 40 years. “It had steel walls, steel ceilings, steel windows, steel furnishings and the doors were often heat-treated bar grading. We manufactured all of those products, and we designed our first sliding cell door device in the 1960s.”

At that time, most detention door controls were relay-based systems that were mounted in steel cabinets, so Willo integrated the cabinet into its product line and later the door controls. By the 1980s, Willo worked exclusively in the detention market. This was fortuitous timing for the company, as the shift in product focus aligned with a countrywide correctional building boom.

“New jails and prisons were going up everywhere,” Wood said. “And Willo was one of the largest detention equipment contractors in the market.”

During that period, the company employed 120 manufacturing employees, with 150 more in the field installing products in facilities across the country. As the building boom slowed, however, the company refocused on its manufacturing capabilities, adding security hollow metal to its product line and selling detention products to other detention contractors.

Along the way, Willo found opportunities to help existing jails and prisons with locking system problems, solving security problems by upgrading aging sliding devices or replacing door control panels that no longer worked. This demonstrated need in the detention market eventually became the focus of the business.

Willo Today

Having scaled its operations, the company maintains a workforce of 40 employees and has continued to develop its reputation for locking system expertise and for placing a premium on customer service, execution, delivery and results.

“I just joined Willo 18 months ago, and I’ve never seen a company with such a consistent good reputation,” Roberts said. “That reputation, I think, is in large part due to the reliability and the consistency with which Willo products are engineered, operated, installed and in continual use for years. Ultimately, customers are highly satisfied because we solve these critical safety problems.”

Willo continues to distinguish itself by remaining the only company in the industry that is exclusively focused on innovative locking systems. While the company continues to develop new tamper-resistant features for the Wedge or sliding devices, it also keeps a strong focus on retrofit solutions. As the company manufactures its own devices, products and parts are always available.

“What really excites us is when our customers tell us how our product performs or how we as a company perform,” said Wood.

In a recent project in a large city in the Northeast, Willo Products helped address a major facility security problem, prompting the longtime client to send a letter

Willo Products was originally founded in 1945 as a steel fabrication company and first entered the detention market in the 1960s. | Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of Willo Products

applauding the company’s products and services. Willo’s various product lines have also performed exceptionally well in third-party testing, far surpassing competitor models in durability and reliability.

“Just last week I got a call from a detention consultant who said, ‘I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news,’” Wood said. “The bad news was that there wasn’t going to be as much work on a particular facility for us as we had thought, but the good news was that our 40-year-old sliding door devices looked and operated like they were installed yesterday. So. that was quite a compliment.”

New Innovations for 2025

Despite the continued success of its standard product line, Willo has new innovations in development with three patents pending related to tamper-resistant features that will debut in 2025. The company is also excited to announce its participation in several significant projects later in the year. For now, however, the Willo team looks forward to increasing awareness of its solutions, bringing new tamper-resistant features to market and helping ensure that door lock security becomes more proactive versus reactive in the industry.

“Also, historically, Willo was a competitor with traditional detention equipment contractors, but we’re now a supplier and a manufacturer, and we want to continue to build out our partner network along with customers directly,” said Roberts.

“As was mentioned in a recent Correctional News article, there’s no shortage in the amount of renovation work over the next five years — and the volume of new construction is very high,” added Wood. “So, Willo is ready to be a valuable supplier in both renovation of locking systems and in providing tamperresistant locking systems and high-quality slider solutions to the new construction space, so that all facilities have the best security available.”

While company leaders look to build external relationships, they continue to nurture

“Having satisfied customers creates a sense of pride for our staff,” said Wood. “We talk a lot about the importance of the work we do. When we can help create a safe detention environment, we’re helping ensure that the correctional officers make it home to their families at the end of the shift, and that rehabilitative work can take place inside a facility so that lives are changed, and people have a second chance. Our team understands that what we do matters and that helps keep us focused.”

While the company continues to develop new tamper-resistant features for the Wedge or sliding devices, it also keeps a strong focus on retrofit solutions.

their internal team. In a recent survey, Willo employees unanimously said that the company feels like a family, a culture Willo leaders work hard to maintain and that helps attract and retain new talent.

Feasibility Studies

Design Review & Assitance

ACA and PREA Compliance

Reviews

Detention & Security

Product Selections • Occupied Facility Experts

Site Assesments

In-House Virtual Construction

Circle #120 on reader service card.

Circle #119 on reader service card.

The Willo Wedge was invented in response to a customer that was struggling to maintain the security of narrow jamb locks on its facility’s swinging doors. Willo assessed the situation and engineered a tailored solution to solve the client’s problem.

Redesigning Rehabilitation How normative design’s secure, human-centric approach can balance and transform carceral spaces

By Kat Balster

There has long been a stigma associated with jails and prisons as being dungeon-like environments where people are stripped of not only their freedom but also their dignity. For decades, the prevailing mentality was that it wasn’t worthwhile to substantially invest in facilities built for incarceration, because why would people who had committed crimes deserve amenities and comfortable spaces?

Fortunately, over the past decade there has been a significant shift from the punitive mentality to a realization that people who cycle through U.S. jails and prisons should be provided with opportunities to become healthy, productive members of society upon release. Much effort has been made to reduce recidivism, but equally important is retention of staff members: the people who are often ‘sentenced’ to these facilities for longer than the inmates and comprise the front lines of improving outcomes.

Normative design is one tool that can help address both goals.

Correctional News curated information and ideas from experts and thought leaders regarding the benefits of normative design, best practices for architects seeking to incorporate more normative elements into correctional facilities, the importance of balancing safety with a human-centric approach, and the benefits and impacts of these strategies.

Balancing Normalization and Security

The fundamental mandate of a correctional facility is safety for the inmates, staff members, visitors and the public at large. As facilities must simultaneously serve punitive, protective and rehabilitative

functions, any discussion of how to normalize a historically hardened environment must be secondary to ensuring it remains secure.

“Challenges often stem from addressing concerns about safety and security while advocating for more progressive design elements,” explained Frank Greene, senior vice president at STV. “Sharing successful examples and explaining the philosophy behind these approaches can help to overcome resistance.”

Developing a human-centric approach to detention environments and maintaining a robust security environment is also a major focus for Tony Vie, architect and partner at Elevatus.

“Incorporating natural materials or residential-like furniture must meet durability and safety standards, while still evoking a sense of normalcy,” Vie said.

Fortunately, that option is becoming increasingly feasible, as the momentum of normalization has resulted in a shift on the manufacturing side of corrections as well.

“Vendors and material suppliers have responded in the last 10-15 years, providing many more options that check all of the [normative design] boxes,” added Bill Valdez, partner at KMB Architects.

This means that more normative options than ever are available that can meet all detention-grade requirements for a facility, while also evoking a more residential feel for inmates and staff.

Deanna Dwenger, Psy.D., who when interviewed served as the executive director of behavioral health for the Indiana Department of Corrections, explained that the competing missions of a correctional facility make the decision to incorporate normative elements complicated.

“[Correctional leaders] are faced with merging all different types of people in a [secure] space,” Dwenger said. “We must aspire to treat those who need

treatment the most, while also keeping them safe from the most dangerous people that the state could see at the same time.”

Elements of Normative Design

When bringing normative elements into a correctional space, Dwenger advocates for the concept of ‘locus of control.’ This model is usually thought of as internal versus external. Many incarcerated people have moved through the world prior to their imprisonment in such a way that they felt like the world was happening to them. Prison, therefore, also represents an external locus of control. Normative elements that Dwenger recommends in carceral environments provide ways to give inmates internal locus of control. This includes the ability to determine the temperature of their lighting, to adjust for white noise within their cell and to make decisions about their environment based on how they are feeling.

The idea also informs an operational philosophy of using more normative elements in gathering spaces where trust can only be developed when inmates have the opportunity to treat things well, rather than an automatic assumption that everything is subject to being destroyed.

Buildings can be also designed in such a way to create clear sightlines and provide natural light through courtyards, windows and skylights. Normalization of the exterior of the building — through large glass areas at the lobby, high-performance wall panels and generously sized windows in sleeping rooms — can all reduce the institutional feel of a correctional facility.

“It is important to incorporate features that mirror everyday life, such as comfortable seating, natural light and vibrant colors,” Vie explained.

Biophilic and Acoustic Design

Biophilic design techniques that better connect people

Carpeting, woodpaneling, colorful furniture, and acoutic ceiling panels are all elements that help to normalize the environment. | Photo Credit: James A. Karns Corrections Center | Megan Ratts Photography

Photo Credit: WCCC | Casey Adams, Nelson

nature within a built space can include introducing plants, views or access to the outdoors, or images of nature. This approach has been proven to reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure in building occupants and users. These elements can evoke calmness and warmth, creating an environment that supports that sense of normalcy.

“Glass-clad polycarbonate, solid-core wood doors, wood handrails, acoustic ceilings and wall panels are essential,” Greene said. “Carpeted floors, porcelain-covered plumbing fixtures and dimmable light fixtures all contribute to a normative environment.”

In addition, Vie recommends acoustic panels for reducing noise and creating an acoustically comfortable environment, as noise reduction, especially in mental health and juvenile environments, profoundly benefits both inmates and staff from being overstimulated.

“Being incarcerated, it is almost like a sensory-deprivation problem,” Dwenger added. “You are in a cell, and it’s concrete, all the same color ... and there is no control over light, sound or smell.”

Dwenger adds that humans are creatures of connectedness, designed to be in community as well as integrated with nature. When people experience sensory deprivation, and only have control over touch, that is what they exercise in that environment.

“It can turn to violence, because [inmates] are so sensory deprived being in the cell all day, every day,” Dwenger said. “Anything that can be done to stimulate senses other than touch is important.”

Staff and Inmate Outcomes

“There are people who think that prison is supposed to be the punishment, but the

Integrating building and design elements that support rehabilitation and staff health in correctional spaces may have an incrementally higher expense at construction, but in the long term can reduce impact on the criminal justice system and even the healthcare system.

Many normative principles — increases in natural light, greenery, softer colors, wood-look detention materials, etc. — all contribute to a softer and more therapeutic environment that benefits the mental health of inmates and staff members. Even inmates without a diagnosed mental illness can suffer from the mental health impacts of an environment that is too sterile and too disorienting to time, place and external positive

stimuli. Remembering that inmates are people, not just bodies to be warehoused, can help change the punitive mentality of decisionmakers and the public.

Normative design in correctional facilities represents a paradigm shift in how society views rehabilitation and incarceration. By prioritizing human dignity alongside safety, these thoughtful designs create environments that are conducive to growth and reintegration. As materials and approaches continue to evolve, the potential for transformative outcomes becomes increasingly attainable — not only for incarcerated people but also for the communities that welcome them back.

Metcraft Industries has been providing high quality stainless steel fixtures for over 40 years. We offer a wide variety of fixtures including Ligature Resistant options and direct replacements of existing Stainless or Vitreous China.

STANDOUTPRODUCTS

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Secure Tablet

Orijin offers a variety of solutions that prepare justice-impacted people for successful reentry to society and sustainable employment. The company partners with facilities and employers to offer educational and career readiness courses that exceed the technological needs of correctional facilities, reduce recruitment and retention costs for employers, and lead learners to sustainable employment. Orijin’s secure, turn-key tablet devices are equipped with Orijin Safe Tech™ connected to the company’s robust cloud-based learning and communications platform. The 10-inch screens are designed to maximize the educational experience, with WiFi and cellular enabled. Orijin’s administration portal simplifies educational program management, offering real-time tracking to optimize curriculum effectiveness and learner engagement.

Orijin

www.orijin.works

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Two Shelf Locker

Max Secure’s Endura Series Two Shelf Locker provides residents in psychiatric facilities, juvenile detention centers, prisons and jails with ample room to store personal effects. The Two Shelf Locker offers safety and prolonged performance in challenging institutional environments thanks to the company’s advanced proprietary Herculite polymer. The material exceeds all national and state fire codes and impact-load tests and is designed to prevent injury to self or others. The maintenance-free product is available in five color options and comes with a 10-year warranty. While the product can be wall mounted, it is free of exposed fasteners and offers no space for concealment.

Max-Secure

www.max-secure.com

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Correctional Mirror

Privacy Panel with Anti-Ligature Grab Bar

The KryptoMax® stainless steel privacy panel with anti-ligature grab bar is built for intensive use in lavatories, shower facilities, changing areas, or anywhere else requiring modesty screens or semi-seclusion. The product is constructed from 12-gauge type 304 stainless steel with a polished finish, fully welded construction and no bolted parts or formed plastic. The panel sits on heavy schedule 40 pipe pedestals and includes a lifetime workmanship warranty. It can be configured to meet ADA compliance and other requirements, per customer specifications.

KrypoMax

www.kryptomax.com

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Epoxy Flooring

Shank-free epoxy flooring by Everlast Epoxy Systems offers a smooth finish with a slipresistant texture through built-in marble chips. The waterproof product is easy to clean and is ideal for bathrooms, showers and kitchens, as it is approved by the FDA for use in food service areas. It is also seamless, antimicrobial and can be applied on walls for added protection against moisture and bacteria growth. Installation requires only buckets, a mixer and trowels, and the product does not require professional installation or application. As the product becomes part of the substrate when applied, removal of existing flooring is not required, and the product cannot be chipped off to use as a weapon.

Everlast Epoxy Systems

www.everlastepoxy.com

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Thermal Enhanced Camera

DuraVision™ correctional facility mirrors are specifically designed for use in prisons and secure behavioral healthcare units where security and safety are critical. The virtually indestructible polycarbonate mirror face is further strengthened with the high-density foam insert and a unique full-steel frame. The company’s quarter dome mirror is designed to be corner mounted in cells or patient rooms at right angle corners to provide 90-degree vision and prevent surprise attacks or collisions in corridors. It includes pure reflective coating and a powder-coated steel frame with a unique tamper-proof design. Recessed, tamper-proof fixings increase security and reduce ligature risks.

DuraVision

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Reader Service #205

The Sarix Thermal Enhanced 4 Series camera by Pelco enables sites to harness the power of intelligence-driven analytics and heat-sensing technology to identify threats beyond what is visible to the human eye.

Pelco Smart Analytics, powered by Motorola Solutions, automatically detects threats at distances over 300 meters away. Using radiometric thermal imaging, the camera measures temperature fluctuations to help identify and prevent hazardous situations, such as overheating. Superior longrange smart analytics detection and ability to concurrently trigger alerts based on radiometric events make the Sarix Thermal Enhanced an ideal solution for security and industrial applications. The product is cyber secured with FIPScompliance and is resistant to rain, hail or snow.

Pelco

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Reader Service #206

Correctional News contacted leading justice architecture firms across the country to gather insights on the current state of the market. Firms were invited to provide the number of licensed justice architects at the associate or principal level as well as details on ongoing justice-sector projects valued at over $50 million. Police and law-enforcement facilities were excluded from the project data. This compiled list serves as a comprehensive resource guide, offering readers valuable information on firm size, activity, areas of expertise and more.

*2025 Justice Architecture List data is submitted by participating firms. WMH Media does not endorse, warrant, or make any

timeliness, reliability or otherwise.

San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, San Quentin, Calif.

Project Highlights:

The San Quentin Rehabilitation Center exemplifies California’s justice system reforms under the California Model, emphasizing evidence-backed practices for those in custody. This milestone in progressive corrections promotes more just, humane, and safe environments. DLR integrated trauma-informed, learning-focused

design, incorporating daylight, access to nature, and biophilic landscape architecture. The design-build team prioritizes dignity and respect, shaped by extensive engagement with those in custody, empowering them to help create a rehabilitative space. The project will triple San Quentin’s educational capacity, adding a media center, coding program, public-library-style open library, classrooms, and a café fostering a shared, communal atmosphere for staff and inmates.

STAINLESS STEEL

DETENTION LOCKS

Design/Construction Team

Architect: DLR/Schmidt Hammer Lassen General Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies

Project Details

Owner/Operator: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Square Footage: 80,000 square feet

Cost: $380 million

Completion: Anticipated early 2026

Whitley County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center, Columbia City, Ind.

Project Highlights:

To address overcrowding in Whitley County’s 40-year-old jail, Elevatus provided an expedited design delivery process to bring the new Whitley County Sheriff’s Department facility to life. The design includes 226 beds in general housing and 10 beds in inmate services, with two units dedicated to addiction treatment programs. The facility is highlighted by Elevatus’ industry-leading central control room design, which provides 360-degree lines of sight into each dayroom, a highly efficient intake processing unit, inmate services with the capacity to meet future needs and a sheriff’s department office with space to function effectively.

Design/Construction Team

Architect: Elevatus

General Contractor: Weigand Construction

Project Details

Owner/Operator: Whitley County Sheriff’s Department

Footage: 58,320 square feet

Cost: $34 million Completion: November 2024

As a continuation of the Justice Architecture List, firms listed below did not provide additional information but company names and headquarters are included to capture all current justice architecture firms providing services in the U.S. and Canada.

Arcadis North America

Los Angeles

Arrington Watkins Phoenix

Babcock Design Salt Lake City

Baskervill Denver

Brinkley Sargent Wiginton

Architects Dallas

BWBR Saint Paul, Minn.

CSO Indianapolis

DLZ Columbus, Ohio

DRG San Antonio

Fentress Denver

FGM Architects Oak Brook, Ill.

GHC Baton Rouge, La.

Goldberg Group Architects St. Joseph, Mo.

Goodwyn Mills Cawood Montgomery, Ala.

GPD Group Akron, Ohio

Gresham Smith Nashville, Tenn.

H2M Architects + Engineers Melville, N.Y.

HGA Minneapolis

HMN Overland Park, Kan.

Hoefer Welker Kansas City, Mo.

Ken Burns Galveston, Texas

LEO A Daly Omaha, Neb.

McMillan Pazdan Smith Greenville, S.C.

Moody Nelson Columbus, Ohio

MSA Design Cinncinnati

Nacht & Lewis Sacramento, Calif.

NORR Detroit

PBK Architects Houston

Reilly Johnson Denver

Roth Sheppard Architects Denver

RQAW | DCCM Houston

RRMM Architects Chesapeake, Va.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Chicago

Stantec Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Tower Pinkster Kalamazoo, Mich.

Designing for Positive Outcomes

As leaders in justice design, we stand committed to using the design process to promote meaningful restorative justice and human dignity.

HDRjustice@hdrinc.com

TSK Architects Henderson, Nev.

Urbahn Architects New York

Venture Architects Denver

Franklin County - Corrections Center, Columbus, Ohio

Partnership Brings Healthcare Resources, Insights to Correctional News Readers

By Lindsey Coulter

Correctional News is excited to announce a partnership with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, whose mission is to improve the quality of health care in jails, prisons and juvenile confinement. The not-for-profit organization is supported by the major national organizations representing the fields

of health, mental health, law and corrections.

Established in the 1970s, NCCHC remains the only national organization dedicated solely to improving correctional health care quality. The organization establishes rigorous standards for health services in correctional facilities and offers a voluntary accreditation program as well as certification for correctional health professionals and other learning opportunities. The organization’s standards cover patient care and treatment, governance and administration, personnel and training, safety and disease prevention, special needs and services and medical-legal issues.

WILLO PRODUCTS COMPANY

Since 1945

Your Source for Tamper-Resistant Locking Systems

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Reliable operation over decades with thousands in service

THE WILLO WEDGE™ (renovation & new construction)

“I will only use the Wedge in my facility”

Continuous innovation in swinging door locks

18,000+ installed throughout the U.S., Guam, Mexico, Canada, and U.S. Territories

Patented technology combats sheeting, carding, and popping of locks and informs the officers when the lock is being manipulated

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• Easy-to-maintain hard-wired controls provide reliable door control and indications without the expensive software integration fees.

• Simple for officers to operate with no training

• Non-proprietary controls, that don't rely on PLCs or computer-based systems

If you’re a jail administrator, maintenance director, or an architect that cares about securing cell doors and locks, scan the code for free resources

Through this new partnership Correctional News and NCCHC will work in conjunction to share valuable news and information, support industry networking opportunities and offer resources to all stakeholders. As correctional healthcare — as well as mental health and behavioral healthcare — becomes an increasing focus of correctional leaders, design and construction professionals, manufacturers and more, NCCHC thought leaders will also share their healthcare expertise with readers, advancing progress and understanding across the corrections and justice sector.

Watch for more announcements, opportunities and collaborative content from Correctional News and NCCHC throughout the year.

ACA to Spotlight Aging Facilities at the Evolving Spaces Symposium

By Kat Balster

ORLANDO, Fla. – Correctional News encourages readers to attend the upcoming Evolving Spaces Symposium taking place on Jan. 13 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Orange County Convention Center during the ACA Winter Conference. The event will focus on tackling the nationwide issue of aging correctional spaces and the complexities of facility management and modernization. Led by long-serving board member for Correctional News, Steve Carter, executive vice-president for CGL Companies, the symposium will cover clean air, temperature-controlled ventilation, preventative maintenance, cuttingedge communication systems, and essential staff uniforms and equipment. There will be a moderated panel of state directors discussing how they overcome aging features in their facilities, lightning talks given by members of the ACA Facility Design Committee and exhibitor demo space showcasing the latest solutions in facility upgrades. The symposium is a can’t miss opportunity to connect with other forward-thinking leaders in the industry who are dedicated to creating safe, efficient and sustainable correctional spaces.

What Keeps Me Up at Night: Healthcare in Corrections

By Greg Offner

What I hear on the outside is that every incarcerated person’s health complaint is taken seriously and immediate attention is given, diagnosis is made and (under the totality of the circumstances) adequate medical treatment is administered when and where it is necessary.

I see essential care as similar to what I call the “First Child of a Third Child” syndrome. Case in point, my own family.

When our first-born child had the slightest sniffle, cough, low-grade fever, etc., we would act as perfect parents do — call our pediatrician and demand our child be seen at once! Then child No. 2 came along. When similar symptoms arose, however, rather than rush our baby to the doctor we cautiously observed the condition for 24 hours, treated with some other over-the-counter medication and (if we didn’t see improvements) called the pediatrician. Then came child No. 3, who at the same age, developed similar flu-like symptoms, low-grade fever, etc. We were now experienced parents. We were aware of how these childhood illnesses developed. We treated the symptoms but didn’t seek medical attention until the child spiked a fever over 102 degrees, which was symptomatic of an infection. It was then that we sought medical attention from a professional.

Sleepless nights with the first child; no sleepless nights with the third. One thing is certain: The first child received essential care and the third did not.

Existing Conditions

Historically, people incarcerated in the U.S. have come from the lower socio-economic strata. As a group, for the most part, they have not had the benefits of adequate healthcare on the outside, and they tend to engage in behaviors that put them at a higher risk for diseases. A substantial number of incarcerated people have mental illnesses, are somewhere on the behavioral spectrum and often have physical limitations as well.

increasing opportunities for counseling. Hopefully it results in a long and happy life for our correctional officers and staff members.

As we move through the next three quarters of the 21st century, it is appropriate for those of us in the field of corrections to ensure that our employees can return home to their families each night, and that people incarcerated can eventually return to society as healthy individuals. If we’re going to get a good night’s sleep, we’ll need to stress preventive services for all Americans.

Improving Care

It should be noted that courts tend to treat the terms “reasonable” and “adequate” as equivalent, particularly when it comes to essential care. Attempts at qualifying the timeliness of care required, or having a non-medically trained staff member determining what is considered adequate or reasonable medical care, presents an exposure to litigation. Triage on the unit by trained staff is a vital part of essential care. If you have it, you’ll sleep

Customizable Key and Asset Management Solutions for Law Enforcement

At this year’s Corrections Summit, hosted by Correctional News, a very frightening statistic was shared: The average lifespan of a corrections officer is 20% lower than that of an average citizen. Our facilities also provide a workplace for our staff members whose job is to provide care for those in custody. Going forward, I believe, whenever we speak of care and custody, we should include our employees. A few administrators at the Corrections Summit shared what they are doing to alleviate impacts as far as shift differentials, training sessions on staff wellbeing and

Healthcare was also a discussion at the 2024 Corrections Summit, which explored challenges related to an aging inmate population and increasing mental and behavioral health needs.

Photo Credit: Wade Forbes, Red Tale Communications

better.

In the programming, design and construction realm, there has been significant improvement in evidence-based design practices to allow facilities to provide a level of care equivalent to many major healthcare facilities.

However, much remains to be accomplished. In some areas of the U.S., correctional healthcare is still 20 years behind its community-based counterparts, and while it is trying to catch up, external forces threaten the progress made and cause many corrections administrators to

experience some tossing and turning at night.

Rising Costs

According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. spends more per person on healthcare than any other nation in the world, and healthcare costs continue to rise at rates exceeding those of inflation. The U.S. also has the dubious distinction of leading the world in the rate of incarceration. Neither the cost of healthcare nor the rate of incarceration is within the control of corrections, but both factors, coupled with the fact that inmates are among those with the most substantial health needs, have created an almost critical crisis in correctional healthcare. Regardless, strengthening preventive health measures and instituting environmental health and safety efforts can

help reduce costs in the long run and will allow you to count savings rather than sheep!

Affordable Quality

It can be dangerous to focus on reducing costs without a concurrent goal toward improving quality. Every department of correction wants to achieve the goal of providing an adequate level of healthcare to inmates simultaneous to staff finding methods to lower costs. Cost control is not the same as reducing expenditure by eliminating needed personnel or services. When I think of cost control, I think it focuses on making the system more efficient; the latter reducing services and making it less effective. Improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of the healthcare delivery system should be the primary goal of jail and prison health professionals.

The Rose Report is not just another faceless project lead service. With over 40 years experience in the prison/jail industry, we are still the only company that focuses strictly on criminal justice construction. We know the players and they know they can trust us with their project information. Thank you for 25 years of support.

In closing, I think a continuous review of policies, procedures, practices and people will result in continual improvement of the field of correctional healthcare. The search for quality is a never-ending process, but like so much of life, the journey is as important as the destination — and a restful night’s sleep is the ultimate goal.

Greg Offner is a criminal justice consultant serving the planning, design and construction community and is a valued member of the Correctional News Industry Knowledge Council.

Trendspotting, from page 7

highly welcomed in trauma recovery spaces like custodial design.”

Staying with the Brits for a final word, in a 2019 article on trauma-informed design for women’s correctional facilities, Yvonne Jewkes and fellow authors noted that, “Architects are self-referential in the sense that they tend to be heavily influenced by their previous work and have difficulty envisaging something radically different from what they have been asked to produce before, or what they ‘know’ prisons to look like from experience. The emphasis tends to lie on the perceived need, or symbolic desire, for the security paraphernalia that denotes ‘this is a prison.’”

At the end of the day, no visual difference may be apparent between a trauma-informed and a normative design solution. The two “approaches” to design should complement each other. Both recognize that the loss of freedom — even in a space that ticks all the elements of trauma-informed and normative design — is emotionally and physically stressful. For healing to occur, architecture should be a partner and not a barrier.

This is not a reach too far for the design and products communities. Significant work is underway to use lessons on healing environments from medical, mental health, educational, and housing experiences to create large- and small-scale solutions that acknowledge the trauma that contributed to an individual’s confinement and to reduce the severity of the trauma through informed design practices.

As designers, it’s important to recognize the distressing events that contributed to incarceration, to advocate for confinement spaces that are for healing (and not simply for punishment) and to encourage innovation and creativity.

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Stephen Carter, AICP, is the executive vice president and global strategic development officer at Miami-based CGL Companies.

Corrections Summit 2024: A Celebration of Connection and Progress

Transforming the justice industry through collaboration, networking and innovation

By Kat Balster

In November, nestled in the picturesque town of Southern Pines, change was in the air at the 2024 Corrections Summit — the sole, invite-only event that brings together facility operators with top industry vendors and service providers. The event crackled with the energy of new ownership and the beginning of new traditions, while honoring the camaraderie, knowledge sharing, and friendly golf competition that has brought the community together over the years.

Camaraderie and Inspiration

The summit kicked off with the announcement of 2024 guiding themes of industry, connection and progress — reminding the group that the primary purpose behind the gathering is to network with competitors and collaborators alike and remember the reasons why so many dedicate their careers to the betterment of the justice industry. Bryan Collier, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, gave a keynote presentation, sharing the accomplishments of one of the largest criminal justice systems in the U.S. and addressing present industry challenges. A new element was also introduced via graphic recorder Wade Forbes of Red Tale Communications, who documented all sessions through live graphic documentation.

Highlights and New Traditions

Networking was a major element to the summit, with rounds of West v. East golf resulting in a decisive win for the West. Friends and colleagues spent hours at the hospitality suite reconnecting and welcoming new faces. Roger Lichtman, senior vice president for AECOM, was recognized as the winner of the Brown Jacket Award. The long-standing tradition was reimagined as a homage to the green jacket of the famed Masters golf tournament, celebrating those within the industry who have dedicated their careers to elevating correctional design and construction.

Insightful Presentations and Discussions

Monday and Tuesday presentations ushered in another new tradition as 2024 Correctional News Editorial Advisory Board members introduced the presenters. A collaborative presentation of adult and juvenile corrections featured Wayne Salisbury, director, Rhode Island Department of Corrections, and Larome Myrick, Ph.D., executive director of juvenile justice, Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families. Nicholas J. Deml, commissioner, Vermont Department of Corrections, also presented strategies for reform in aging infrastructure and how to engage with dissenting stakeholders. The design team of Jim Beight, Craig Clary, and Brooke Martin from Dewberry focused on the intersection of mental health and the unavoidable connections between healthcare and corrections in designing facilities that best meet the needs specialized populations. A crowd favorite was a presentation from Brian Lovins, Ph.D., an industry thought leader and president of Justice System Partners, who discussed rethinking operational approaches as the industry moves from a ‘tough on crime’ stance

of juvenile justice, Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth &

secretary of North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections; and Bryan P. Stirling, director, South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Dynamic Roundtables

Two very different roundtables provided valuable insights and an opportunity for interactive discussion. The Detention Industry Roundtable brought leaders of detention manufacturers and detention equipment contractors together to discuss the unprecedented volume of projects, competition and consolidation, and the challenges of meeting the industry demand through both labor and manufacturing. The Directors Roundtable brought five directors of state departments of correction to speak to both unique and universal challenges experienced by their systems.

2024 Corrections Summit attendees sit with competitors, clients, and collaborators and absorb the presentations.

Director’s Roundtable session, from left to right: Nicholas J. Deml, commissioner, Vermont Department of Corrections; Wayne Salisbury, director, Rhode Island Department of Corrections; Larome Myrick, Ph.D., executive director

Families; Todd Ishee,

Roger Lichtman,

Bryan Collier, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, wowed the crowd as the keynote speaker, kicking off the conference with a presentation on successes in reducing recidivism and the challenges that face the corrections industry.

Looking Ahead

The discussions and presentations that transpired throughout the 2024 Corrections Summit set new standards for progress and connection in the industry. Correctional News documented the takeaways and will build upon the content throughout the year and discover new areas of collaboration and working solutions at the 2025 Corrections Summit, including following the progress of these six themes from 2024:

1. REHABILITATION AND RECIDIVISM REDUCTION

Innovations in Incentive housing and peer mentorships are fostering supportive change. Partnerships with community groups and businesses boost job placement and reentry support. Modern approaches focus on rehabilitation pathways, avoiding punitive methods.

2. INNOVATIVE AND NORMATIVE FACILITY DESIGN

Trauma-informed design with natural light, flexible spaces, and supportive aesthetics improves outcomes and staff retention. Technology advancements in communication, education, and operations are transforming corrections.

3. LEADERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

A ‘team of rivals’ approach unites diverse stakeholders for better decisions and support. Leadership academies and staff development programs build capacity and future correctional leaders.

4. POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE CHALLENGES

Public and legislative priorities now emphasize rehabilitation and reentry. Correctional leaders foster transparency and collaboration with advocacy groups to align goals and ease tensions.

5.

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL TRENDS

States increasingly share resources and knowledge to tackle common challenges. While recidivism remains a priority, aligning metrics with impactful structural changes is challenging.

6.

CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM CHALLENGES

Older inmates’ healthcare needs strain resources, while younger populations demand updated strategies. Outdated facilities and high vacancy rates affect morale and operations. Budget constraints limit staff, training, and materials. Rising mental health diagnoses further challenge correctional systems.

AIA, DBIA, senior vice president, justice sector, AECOM received the 2024 Brown Jacket Award, recognizing him as a ‘master’ of the industry.

From left to right: Tony Vie, Tony Ewalt, Dan Eden and Chris Sailors enjoying conversation after a friendly golf competition.

restoration. Many of the young people we serve also have younger siblings who face higher risks of justice system involvement but addressing family needs early and with tailored programming can disrupt intergenerational cycles of incarceration.

To facilitate these critical connections and programs, neutral, safe and welcoming spaces for family visits are essential. At the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families, we are exploring ways to humanize correctional environments through thoughtful, healingfocused design and communication. Our family handbook — inspired by Colorado’s Division of Youth Services model — provides families with a clearer understanding of their child’s status and ongoing treatment. This well-crafted resource demystifies the rehabilitation process for loved ones, fosters more trust with the system and positions families as essential partners in a child’s care.

Looking forward, we aim to develop additional tools and resources for families, like DBT flashcards and flyers explaining treatment modalities. Additionally, we are working with the Center for Improving Youth Justice to pilot a re-entry app, offering families and youth opportunities for technology-fueled communication as they transition back into the community.

The Role of Supportive Spaces

Finally, justice- and rehabilitationoriented spaces should clearly reflect our most important goals: traumainformed care, family involvement, and individualized programs and services to help youth aspire and achieve. At Echo Glen Children’s Center, for example, we created Washington’s first state library within a juvenile correctional setting. Designed to feel comfortable and like home, the space features reading nooks, tents, rugs and brand-new books curated for the youth. This environment matters — especially for young people who may have never experienced such care and attention.

Spaces like these enable us to celebrate progress through program engagement, graduations, decreases in behavioral outbursts and uses of force as well as the success of de-escalation programs. Every detail of a rehabilitative environment, from noise control to natural light, shapes how youth experience care and envision their futures.

Looking Forward

As we enter 2025, I am eager to observe how correctional facility architects, designers, and builders will respond to the evolving needs of our youth. Through innovative housing models, optimal spaces for mental health care, family-centered designs and more, the opportunity to improve rehabilitation outcomes through thoughtful environmental design has never been greater. With collaboration, and a little bit of intentional effort, the future will hopefully include more rehabilitationoriented environments that inspire healing, growth and hope.

requires a more secure environment. While the facility visibly embraces a more normative approach, safety and security remain paramount. The design creates clear views between day rooms and allows staff members to monitor corridors to minimize the staff requirements and support easy circulation patterns.

Additionally, the private family rooms offer one-on-one visitation while also offering direct supervision. These secure

spaces provide comfort for families through the addition of play areas and nooks for younger siblings as well as access to a secure and visible outdoor space.

“The county didn’t want this facility to be just for the kids, but they wanted to create more times for families to have meals and celebrations together,” Pitts said.

A Model for the Future

When the project debuts and Racine County is able to implement these design and treatment methodologies, Pitts is eager to see how the design performs into the future and how it might one day support a zero-detention environment.

“I’m excited to see how we can take the success of that project and then facilitate that to the next client,” Pitts said.

Felice Upton is vice president of CJJA, assistant secretary of Juvenile Rehabilitation in Washington State and a member of the Correctional News Editorial Advisory Board.

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solution,” Tapia said. “Chicago Beyond’s Holistic Safety Framework is rooted in that reality.”

The framework centers on the core principles of collaborative engagement between administrators, staff and people who are incarcerated and uplifting psychological safety. Through the framework, Chicago Beyond works with correctional administrators to more comprehensively, thoughtfully, and strategically engage their staff and incarcerated populations along a continuum.

“When I was working in the jail, I would often walk around the facility and talk with staff and with people incarcerated,” Tapia said. “This is more than that: it’s about creating a policymaking table where people who work in the system and people who are incarcerated in the system are part of that policymaking table.”

The Holistic Safety Framework encourages correctional administrators who are revising and implementing new policies and procedures to directly involve the people who will be impacted by them — and to participate in ongoing dialogue. Tapia references her own experience as a warden, during which she found that not involving staff in policy development and

implementation resulted in decisions that simply didn’t work, and sometimes caused harm. The policies and programs that engaged the staff and incarcerated people, however, lasted long beyond her tenure and are still going strong today.

The Right to Safety

This year, Chicago Beyond also published the second edition of “Do I Have the Right to Feel Safe?” Predicated on creating the conditions for all community members — inside and outside of correctional walls — to be and feel safe, the resource articulates the Holistic

Safety Framework and includes input from people formerly incarcerated as well as current and former correctional staff members and administrators.

Building on the first edition, which established the Holistic Safety Framework and a shared understanding of the impacts of trauma in jails and prisons, the second edition includes new policy recommendations based on the organization’s work with several jails and prisons across the country including the Cook County Jail in Chicago; the San Francisco County Jails; the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry; the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Vermont Department of Corrections and others.

The 2024 edition of “Do I Have the Right to Feel Safe?” helps the organization to bring about more specific policy recommendations related to the framework. It includes four policy issue areas, including:

• Reducing physical isolation for people incarcerated

• The importance of mental wellness or reducing the emotional isolation for people incarcerated

• The importance of mental wellness or reducing the emotional isolation for staff

• Reducing interpersonal isolation or “us versus them” cultures that exist within corrections to improve relationship dynamics across the board

“Holistic safety ... is about creating an environment where people feel protected from harm and resilient when they experience it and [are able to] engage in their own healing,” Tapia said.

Data and Resources

To date, Chicago Beyond has partnered with eight corrections systems, including six state prison systems and two large jail systems, bringing the organization to its engagement capacity. To meet growing demand, in 2025 the organization will offer a virtual learning community that includes six virtual conversations centered on the holistic safety framework. Participants will hear from Chicago Beyond partners who are successfully implementing the framework. Any entity interested in joining the conversation can learn more at www.chicagobeyond.org.

Additionally, Chicago Beyond is collaborating with a research partner to help articulate its impact, including the organization’s work with a large jail system, where the organization helped system leaders to change visitation practices from mostly non-contact visitations to making family-friendly contact visitation accessible to all incarcerated people within the facility.

“That translates to more than 70,000 people who cycle in and out of the jail each year being connected with their families in a more holistically safe visitation experience,” Tapia said.

In another instance, the organization worked with a jail to implement more general programming and emotionally supportive programming for people in restrictive housing. The facility found that fights, uses of force and batteries to staff all decreased significantly. More data and findings will be available in late 2025.

Whether people are engaged with the physical safety of correctional systems through design, construction, technology, or manufacturing, Tapia believes the Holistic Safety Framework can be utilized in a way that considers the psychological safety that is necessary for staff and people incarcerated.

“That’s how we can all effectively uplift

she said. “The reality is that we

Tapia and Matthew Burke, associate director of Justice Initiatives at Chicago Beyond, visited and observed Corrigan Correctional Center in Connecticut. | Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of Chicago Beyond

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