ABSTRACT

The Environmental Justice in Prisons Project is challenging the notion that healthy environments are an amenity and not a necessity by creating more productive and therapeutic prison environments in order to improve the health and well-being of incarcerated people and prison staff. What started as a hypothetical design project has turned into a long-term partnership providing students with opportunities to engage and understand diverse, underserved, and often misunderstood populations by working directly with the prison offenders and staff to design, build, and maintain outdoor spaces within the razor-wire fence. A survey of past and current students reveals that many students sign up looking for a great portfolio piece but upon reflection find more value in unseen life lessons. Their reflections reveal a sense of empathy and a desire to work with those who do not typically have access to the benefits of design.