Session Code: AAJ1510CD
Session Time: Friday, Nov. 20 Track Session: Corrections, AAJ Miami 9:45 am – 11:15 am, 2015 AIA AAJ Fall Conference
Xenia Cox, Architectural Education Activist & Innovator | Ryan Critchfield, AIA | Kristy Gasparino, AIA
Andrew Brown, Principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy | Stacey Wiseman, AIA
I had a chance to interview Stacey Wiseman, who is a speaker within this Track Session Panel. Stacey Wiseman is an Associate at CGL RicciGreene. Her involvement in all aspects of a project, from meeting with users to achieving an efficient design, has contributed to her profound understanding of the operational and philosophical goals that drive correctional facilities. Her strengths include preparing space programs, feasibility and master plan studies, and the design of specialized housing units. Prior to joining Ricci Greene Associates, Mrs. Wiseman was involved in the design and construction of K-12 facilities including a multi-phased New Visions school. Since 2010, she has served on the Board of Directors and Curriculum Chair for ACE Mentorship of the Bluegrass. Previously, she has presented at the regional AIA IN/KY conference on embracing social media and improving the creative process to achieve innovation.
Session Abstract: "To redefine the future of juvenile facilities with the aim of reducing recidivism, engagement and interaction from a variety of disciplines is required. As Steven Johnson writes in Where Good Ideas Come From, “Many of the brilliant and innovative ideas throughout history have resulted from networks of creative people sharing, collaborating and challenging one another to explore the adjacent possible.” This panel examines how justice architects, educators and community-based organization professionals can inform, influence, and impact each other to provide more appropriate solutions for youthful offenders. It’s more difficult to achieve long-term sustainable success by remaining in isolation. Instead, it’s critical to continually look beyond the justice architectural community for new insights. The panel comprised of architects and educators will explore the education component within juvenile facilities as a key factor for reducing recidivism and finding a continuum of support for incarcerated youth. Throughout our discussion, we will use project examples and proven strategies to demonstrate current practices and successful models. Imagining a new potential for juvenile facilities, we will envision how the built environment can respond to and be a catalyst for evolving programmatic and policy decisions."
1. Who is the panel made up of? Can you go into detail on how you chose them to be a part of this session?
"The collaborative panel is made of individuals from the architectural and educational sector. Panel speakers were chosen to create a collaborative look at what juvenile facilities have the potential to become."
Speaker Bios:
Xenia Cox is an education activist and innovator in architecture for education. Xenia's areas of expertise resides where facility and education interest, managing projects that seek to improve educational outcomes and linking educational goals to facility needs. Her mission is to craft and nurture the connections between instructional and cultural aspects of education reform and facility design. For the past decade, she has supported the work of superintendents, city and state leadership, non-profits and foundations engaged in transforming teaching and learning by leveraging the power of space to catalyze and support shifting paradigms in education reform. In her current roles as founding Principal for Archademia and consulting Vice-President at MKThink, Xenia merges her extensive background in design and education to deliver cohesive, integrated, impactful facilities strategies that optimize built environment in support of student achievement.
Ryan Critchfield serves a crucial role at CGL RicciGreene, involved in all phases of the planning and design process. He has been a key contributor as designer and project lead for planning, design and construction of adult and juvenile detention facilities. Sensitive to the complexities of detention design, he is experienced in understanding operational issues and principles that guide the design, selection of systems and materials, and detailing. In addition to his keen awareness of the role of operational philosophy in design solutions, he is versed in code and regulatory parameters that govern life safety and security in justice facilities. Mr. Critchfield served as the Project Manager for the Cheltenham Youth Detention Facility and Department of Youth Services Capital Master Plan for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Kristy Gasparino has contributed to the success of a multitude of projects at CGL RicciGreene as an accomplished architect and designer, . She has worked on a multiple delivery types across the country and through Canada with government entities at the local, state, and federal levels. Mrs. Gasparino served as Project Architect for the Cheltenham Youth Detention Facility. More recently, Kristy is the Project Manager for the new Maryland Female Detention Center.
Andrew Brown began his career teaching incarcerated students. He discovered that music, art, and acting allowed his students to make connections both with academic creativity and with themselves. He co-facilitated theatrical productions including a performance of “Hamlet” at Crossroads Juvenile Center which saw male and female students performing together for the first time in that facility. As a site supervisor at Bridges Juvenile Center, formerly known as Spofford, he won the Commissioner’s Award for providing outstanding educational services to detained youth. Andrew later became Director of Special Education Services for District 79, alternative schools in New York City. He was a founding Assistant Principal at East River Academy, the high school that serves more than a thousand students at the Rikers Island Jail Complex. Andrew currently serves as Principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy, a transfer high school in Brownsville, that serves youth who have previously been disconnected from school.
2. You mention proven strategies and project examples (case studies) will be discussed to provide examples of successful outcomes – can you expand on what those strategies are or on one of those case studies?
"We will discuss various projects and programs within the session. Andrew Brown will cover several examples of successful outcomes working with boys and girls in juvenile facilities. Andrew has worked with the 18-22 year old range and was a founding Principal at East River Academy which serves Riker Island Jail Complex. He improved and developed programs that create expression, content, and remove barriers through acting, painting, performance which break up stereotypes, produce change, and generate a human connection."
3. The abstract also mentions learning to “Identify an ideal learning environment for youth that maximizes programmatic goals while maintaining security requirements.” – within your own vision, what do you think the ideal learning environment is for our current time?
"Some of the discussion I’ve been having with my panelists is about how now is the time for true social change to happen. Lately, there seems to be more political will and philosophical adjustments toward a rehabilitative model rather than just locking people up. The ideal vision ties into successful case studies and being able to modify your environment to facilitate human connection. For example, detained youth painting murals on the facilities walls allows them to make an impact on their environment. Another example is furniture and understanding how we can educate clients on appropriate furniture for correctional settings that doesn't have to be secured to the floor, thus, allowing an environment that adapts and moves to meet interaction and educational goals. All stakeholders and disciplines must collaborate to provide the best environment for human connection."
4. In the session, you will be sharing how to existing educational spaces can be improved to integrate new ways of teaching, curriculum, and innovation within technology – what current instructional types of teaching, programs, and innovation are on the top of the list to be integrated? Have these been integrated in any current projects?
"There are new studies and programs continually being released to provide better education and more successful outcomes for our youth. Prior to working for CGL-RG, I worked in New York City renovating large high schools to become a small school model. I respected the client’s Project Manager for her engagement and passion to change / improve the schools on a fundamental level. This criminal justice presentation is a way for me to combine the architectural experiences I’ve had with the design of correctional facilities I've worked with on CGL-RG. I also knew I wanted to craft this session presentation around collaboration so it seemed to be the perfect fit! Two panelists work within education as an educator and a reformer. The other two panelists are within my firm, CGL RicciGreene, on the architectural side. Our goal is to discuss how education is central to recidivism and exploring new and innovative ways to improve this component within facilities."
5. Lastly, can you tell me about how you became interested in criminal justice and what you are most passionate about in this field?
"As noted in Question 4, I became interested in Criminal Justice once I started at CGL-RG and have spent a majority of my time working on the planning and schematic design of correctional facilities. I am passionate about the social change aspect, this work naturally involves making a difference, and allows for conditions I see to be addressed within criminal justice architecture."
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Thank you Stacey Wiseman for taking the time to interview and give the AIA & AIA AAJ Community a sneak peak of this upcoming session!
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