CAJ Conference Slots Panelists and Speakers
NEW YORK – Building detention facilities to be better civic neighbors is one of the central themes for correctional designers and contractors at the upcoming Fifth International Conference on Justice Design in Chicago.
“There’s less emphasis toward design excellence and more toward just pumping out the units and getting them built,” says Frank Greene, principal at Ricci Greene Associates and chair of the conference's detention track. “Designers have to advocate for a good design; owners rarely tell us they want a good design. We have to demonstrate its value.”
Sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, the Committee on Architecture for Justice presents speakers who will examine the role of the correctional facilities on sites vital to urban areas, either due to historical factors or as potential areas for development.
“Jails often end up in what is not the best neighborhood. The jail can give stability to a declining neighborhood and not be an eyesore because it doesn't have to be defined by a razor-ribbon perimeter and a hard edge,” Greene explains. “Friendly is a strong word, but the image can be more palatable.”
Architects scheduled to speak on the topic of urban detention centers are Larry Phillips of HDR Architecture and Jim Kessler of HOK. Panel discussions will revolve around designs that take their role as civic partners seriously and how building technology and materials can enhance appearance and improve interior environments without compromising security.
“One concern that was expressed by a number of people who were organizing the conference, particularly in the corrections/detention area, it seems as if there's so many practitioners in the field and there's so much competitive fee pressure, it seems as though the design of justice facilities has become more commodified, if you will.”
How much of this stems from designers falling into a rut, or from the fact that many governments are suffering budget shortfalls? “I think one feeds the other,” Greene told Correctional News. “There's plenty of blame to go around, but I think it's a major responsibility of the designers to communicate back to the clients the benefits in going the extra mile.”
A panel discussion addresses achieving design excellence in detention. Panel members include Scott Higgins, chief of design & construction for the Federal Bureau of Prisons; Bob Verdeyen, director of the American Correctional Association; Mike Barr of J.E. Dunn; Mike Frawley of HOK; and Rick Macia of Spillis Candela DMJM.
Other scheduled speakers for the conference, to be held Oct. 27-29, include Jim Robertson of Voorhis/Robertson Justice Services, addressing the topic of construction methodology; Curtis Pulitzer of Pulitzer Bogard & Associates speaks on operations-driven security design; and Mary McHatton of Turner Construction on balancing energy-saving strategies with security. Ken Ball speaks on juvenile facilities.
Moderators for the detention track are Jeffery Goodale of SchenkelShultz, April Pottorf of Ricci Greene and Ed Spooner of HOK. The conference also includes law-enforcement and court tracks.
