The Jail of the Future Looks...Nice?

It's more country club than gloomy fortress


If you've ever been to Las Vegas, you know that environment can manipulate behavior, encouraging you to stay out later or spend more money without realizing it. It's the same in prison: Depressing conditions and a draconian culture can encourage poor behavior, which leads to longer punishments—at tax-payers' expense. Prison is meant to deter crime, not foment it. For this reason, two architecture firms, KMD and HMC, used design principles from colleges and hospitals to build a women's jail in San Diego that could reduce assault, vandalism, and, eventually, recidivism.

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