ABSTRACT
In early colonial America, prisons were mostly used to house those awaiting trial. At that time, sentences reflected the public's view of those who committed crimes as evil, requiring corporal punishment or exile from the community. As society modernized, so did the purpose of criminal sentences. In the late 1800s, correctional facilities were designed to promote deterrence, incapacitation, retribution, and rehabilitation of individuals convicted of crimes. In this chapter, we explore the differences and impact of architectural choices from the solitary confinement cells of the Eastern State prison to the warehousing of individuals in prisons in order to extract their labor, and finally to the shared – and often overcrowded – halls of modern facilities. We emphasize how the physical conditions of confinement (i.e., constant sensory stimulation, extreme temperatures, access to recreation) can impact mental and physical health, opportunities for misconduct, victimization, social interaction, and access to rehabilitative programs. To reflect on the physical conditions of imprisonment, our co-author will draw on his first-hand experiences to support research on the principle of normalization which argues for architectural changes in the current prison system.
