The Academy of Architecture for Justice (AAJ) promotes and fosters the exchange of information and knowledge between members, professional organizations, and the public for high-quality planning, design, and delivery of justice architecture.
The Yavapai County Criminal Justice Center (CJC) is a new facility that will be constructed in Prescott, Ariz. It represents the county’s commitment to evidence-based and purpose-built design for restorative justice, alternatives to incarceration, deflection and diversion, and comprehensive reentry and reintegration. Deflection and reentry represent a significant commitment on the part of the county to provide evidence-based best practice–designed mental health and substance use disorder treatment to an ever-expanding population of those who enter the justice system due to behavioral health crises. By focusing the clinical program on this population, and removing a significant number of those with serious behavioral health conditions from the justice system through deflection, diversion, and effective community linkage, the county expects to continue its impressive reduction of those with serious mental illness (SMI) who are incarcerated, and to simultaneously realize substantial financial savings.01:01:45