2022 Academy of Architecture for Justice Conference Call for Proposals

2022 Academy of Architecture for Justice Conference Call for Proposals
October 9 – 12, 2022, Austin, Texas

Thank you for your interest in the Academy of Architecture for Justice (AAJ) 2022 Call for Proposals. We are thrilled that you are interested in sharing your expertise with our members and allied professionals. The following aims to answer the most frequently asked questions about the Call for Proposals process. Please take a minute to review it before you submit your final proposals.

Conference Theme
The AAJ’s goal is to promote excellence in the design of justice facilities that operate efficiently, safely, and securely. The theme of the 2022 conference builds on our previous conference momentum to focus on how the injustices that occur within the criminal justice system are not just impacted by one facility or building, but are influenced by community, policy, transportation, and architecture among many other factors. The conference will gather experts working in the field of education, justice, health care, and housing to ideate on the intersection of these building types and their influence on the criminal justice system, as well as how our environments can influence our journeys through a community. The working title of the conference is “It’s Not Just About the Building: How Can Architects Support a More Just Tomorrow?”

This conference takes a broader look outside of the criminal justice system and the buildings that support it. If we look towards our communities and begin to understand how people become involved in the criminal justice system, we realize that it’s not about one system or one building type, but how our society functions. What can we learn from the impact of other building types on the criminal justice system? How do these buildings support successful re-entry of the formerly incarcerated into communities? This exploration may help us facilitate conversations about a new type of community asset that provides an opportunity for improved outcomes and lower recidivism rates.

We will continue to share strategies for providing healthy, safe, restorative, and dignified environments for those engaged in the criminal justice system and discuss strategies for providing community support and services to better serve individuals re-entering their communities. The 2022 conference presents an opportunity to learn from other professionals working in intersectional disciplines and collaborate to refocus on how we can leverage our experiences to inform a more sustainable, equitable tomorrow.

We are extremely excited to see you in Austin this October! The 2022 conference is our first chance to gather in over two years. The conference schedule will consist of a combination of presentations and facilitated workshops. This interactive approach is intended to foster networking, incite thoughtful discussion amongst our membership and other knowledge communities, and to provide actionable outcomes the membership can advocate for and progress in their own communities.

Who Should Submit Proposal?
The person submitting the proposal will act as the session organizer. They will serve as the primary contact with AIA staff. The organizer may be the primary speaker, a logistical contact for the primary presenter or a planning committee volunteer. The organizer will be responsible for following the submission guidelines and meeting deadlines for preparation and delivery. The organizer will be responsible for communicating with their entire speaker panel.

Technology
Facilitation and technology requirements of the session(s) will be provided by AIA AAJ for all sessions. Companies and/or presenters are not required to have presentation capabilities to submit.

Timeline
May 5      - Call for Proposals Released
June 12   - Due Date (extended deadline!)
June 24  - Proposal Decision Communicated

Submission and Review Process
Proposals will be assessed by a group of peer reviewers comprised of subject matter experts in the justice architecture industry and evaluated according to the criteria below:

• Relevance of the content to the conference theme within the context of community and justice supports or intersections
  • Education
  • Health care
  • Housing
• Topic discussed is an objective best practice
• Solutions that are innovative and/or an emerging practice trend

Panel Topic Prompts
We encourage the session presentations to focus on innovative solutions/concepts that address the idea of advocacy, community connection, and discuss how different facility types can support positive outcomes within the criminal justice system and community. We are fostering partnership with other AIA Knowledge Communities and promoting collaboration with subject matter experts including, but not limited to, policymakers, formerly incarcerated, healthcare and justice practitioners, affordable housing proponents, and community advocates. The topics below are not all inclusive but intended as prompts for consideration in proposal and research development.

Education

• What can we learn from changes in educational policy and school design?
• How does school-age and early childhood experience intersect with the criminal justice system?
• How does research on the “school to prison pipeline” impact community planning?
• Have the effects of the pandemic influenced school programming, design, etc.?
• How can school facilities serve as a successful community asset to support the administration of services, childcare, adult learning, community events, food distribution, shelter, healthcare, etc.?
• How are “Restorative Justice Policies” in schools supported by or impacted by the criminal justice system?
• Potential speakers may include educators, administrators, child psychologists, school planners and designers, and students that can provide perspectives on the intersection of the education and criminal justice systems.

Health care

• What are new models for secure and civil mental health care? How are communities planning for these services?
• Health care services collocated with other functions (smaller community clinics, community health care within schools, in affordable housing or transitional housing scenarios)
• How can health care services intersect with education functions and what type of facility can support this? Examples: Buildings and spaces to support education related to life skills, parenting, nutrition, anger management, etc.
• How does building design influence patient and staff behaviors?
• How do health care policies inform the building design and operation?
• Potential speakers may include health care practitioners, health care planners and designers, health system administrators, practitioners that work within secure facilities, personal journey of patient or family members addressing experience navigating the health care and/ or criminal justice system.

Housing

• What are new or emerging models for affordable, transitional, and homeless housing?
• What kinds of “second chance” programs, facilities, organizations are available?
• How can communities plan for and support better access to housing and transportation?
• Are there incentive-based housing programs for formerly incarcerated that further discount or provide additional training and support for completing education, counseling, or other programs?
• Potential speakers may include affordable housing advocates, developers, non-profit organizations, housing planners and designers, urban planners, formerly homeless or incarcerated individuals living in or providing insights into their housing experience.

Justice

• What are new or emerging facility types to support lowering recidivism rates in our communities?
• What are best practices related to facility planning and design to support restorative and rehabilitative spaces?
• How can architects be better advocates in their communities for alternatives to traditional criminal justice facility types?
• What are examples of successful community justice campuses? How has the campus consolidation, facility types, and connections within the campus influenced outcomes for residents, staff, and the community?
• Potential speakers may include restorative justice advocates, politicians, facility administrators, court officers, law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, healthcare practitioners, justice planners and designers, non-profit and community outreach organizations, and family or individuals that have been impacted by the criminal justice system.

Title: The title should be a short, benefits-oriented statement of no more than eight words. The AIA reserves the right to edit and adjust the title to meet AIA/CES requirements. Once a proposal is accepted, session titles may not be changed except by the AIA.
Session Summary: This is essentially an elevator pitch. Speaking directly to the prospective attendees, briefly state what the session is about; what they will gain by attending; what new information or emerging trends will be addressed. Provide a snapshot of your session from the beginning to the end, if possible. Sessions will range from 60 – 75-minute increments. Conference day will be from 8am-6pm CT.
Learning Objectives: In this section, we are looking for measurable results that will come from your presentation ‐‐ what the learner (attendee, participant, etc.) will be able to do after attending your presentation. Please list four (4) measurable outcomes; proposals will not be considered without valid Learner Outcomes.
Learner Outcomes are best expressed by using active verbs such as: identify, discover, practice, describe, chart, define, list, etc. For example: “By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to identify key skills needed to influence change”.
Delivery Style: To deliver engaging and interactive learning, AIA will give preference to proposals that promote audience participation and engagement over lecture‐style and/or one‐way panel presentations. Examples of such formats include:

• Panel Discussion: Group of experts discussing emerging trends or innovative topics; engaging the audience in peer-to-peer discussion. Encourage participation from emerging professionals in panel discussions is preferred.
• Case Study: A single or short shortlist of projects presented with facts, problems, and data with questions to generate discussion and solutions. Incorporating Project architects, owners, users, and/or subject matter experts in panel discussions is preferred.

Editing Your Submission:
Please note, if you wish to begin completing the form and plan to edit your answers later, you will receive an “edit link” in a confirmation email after you press [Submit]. If you wish to add a required item in later, you will still have to enter some text (such as "edit later") into the field to submit. We will not check final submissions until after the due date. We also highly recommend writing your answers out in a text or Word document and pasting them into the form in case there are any errors with submission.

Notifications
All submitters will receive an automated email confirmation of their submission was received. If you do not receive an email confirmation, contact Bruce Bland at bbland@aia.org or 202-626-7557.

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