Reimagining the Juvenile Detention System

Abstract

<p>This group proposed to improve the juvenile detention system through policy as well as through change in the design of detention centers. Team members agreed to redesign the system in order to avoid dehumanizing adolescents and to introduce them to a new kind of community environment. The design of the prison will be based on a set of concentric circles. The inner circle will be the most restrictive in terms of freedoms and privileges. As the adolescent gains skills and trust, they move from the inner circle to the outer circles. The outer circles allow for more freedom and trust, physically demonstrated through the opening of the prison space into individual houses. With this increased trust and freedom, adolescents will also take on more responsibilities and become effective members of the prison community–working in the community garden for example.</p>