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I am thrilled to have been chosen as the Knowledge Scholar for the Detention track at the 2011 AAJ national conference in Los Angeles.  Although I have been active in the architectural industry for 13 years, until recently, I have had only minimal experience with architecture in the detention field.

Years ago I would have been hesitant to concentrate on this track. I was familiar with the movement that discouraged architects from building detention facilities. The counter argument was that if prisons/jails were going to be built, that architects should commit to design them better. But I wondered: are we designing them better?

In 2011 as I have become more and more engaged with the field, I have found it quite heartening to discover the current research and design trends. I have the great opportunity to work closely with Beverly Prior and Julia Hughes, two of the key contributors to the Sustainable Justice movement. I am excited that the focus has shifted from containing people to rehabilitating them, that jails are being designed to be good neighbors and support community involvement, and that critical environmental strategies are being explored to raise the bar for sustainable design in detention facilities.

These ideas—some new and some just new to me—have instilled in me a passion to learn how the architectural industry—particularly the thought leaders in the AAJ—is proposing detention design as a site of social justice and social change. When I became aware of the opportunity to immerse myself in this current theory as this year’s Knowledge Scholar for the Detention track, I jumped at the chance.  I am eager to learn how the architectural industry can approach the current challenges in the detention industry: meeting the special needs of different inmate populations, realignment, alternatives to incarceration and reducing recidivism, creating opportunities to rehabilitate, and integrating sustainability at the individual, community, and global scales.

This is an exciting time for architectural detention design, and I am grateful to be a part of it. I thank the AIA for granting me this opportunity and I look forward to engaging and sharing my experiences over the next few days.