Evolving Spaces Symposium, Pt. II: Rethinking Facilities in Ohio and Virginia

Ohio Department of Youth Services Director Amy Ast, along with Heather Lorenzo and Gerry Guerrero of HDR, discussed the design plans for Ohio’s new youth justice facilities.

By Charlie Lange

Last week, Correctional News recapped the first two sessions of the Evolving Spaces: Creating Spaces that Work Symposium, presented Feb. 8 during the American Correctional Association’s 2026 Winter Conference in Long Beach, Calif.

Those sessions covered reimagined facilities in Arizona and Orange County, Calif., while the remainder of the symposium focused on intentional adaptation of both youth and adult facilities in Ohio, as well as the implementation of the novel “Virginia Model” to transform one of the state’s long-troubled correctional facilities.

Shaping the Future of Ohio’s Youth Facilities

Amy Ast, Director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, joined Gerry Guerrero, Global Director of HDR’s Civic + Justice practice, and Heather Lorenzo, a justice planner and researcher with HDR, to showcase the thoughtful and practical design changes planned for a wide-spanning revamp of the state’s youth justice facilities.

That initiative is headlined by a $225 million effort to replace the 50-year-old Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility with four new 36-bed facilities across two separate sites.

Lorenzo said the team’s goal was to create a positive psychological environment centered around four touch points: connections, relationships, healing and home.

“We strive to inspire hope and healing through architecture,” said Lorenzo. “We really want to transform these spaces for these kids.”

During the design process, the team included staff — from officers to clinicians to custodial staff — in visioning sessions, where they pointed out things that are most important to them and the youth they serve.

They also incorporated youth input by distributing comic-style activity books to more than 40 youths to fill out with information about what matters to them most. Some of those requests included having spaces where youths could take pictures with their families, or have outdoor spaces where the department could set up barbecues for them during visitation.

“By incorporating these, the kids know that we’re really committed to them and giving them the spaces they’re asking for to help them through the healing process,” said Guerrero.

Throughout the facilities, the team also sought to normalize spaces, thinking of dayrooms as living rooms and compounds as backyards, and incorporating calming colors, murals, natural light and soft furnishings to contribute to that environment.

Ast stressed the importance of partnering with an architecture firm like HDR that understood and shared the department’s overall goals to be not only trauma-informed, but trauma-responsive.

“What we’re building is something different, and will really change the landscape of youth justice across the country,” said Ast.

Repurposed Rural Spaces

Next, Jodi Starr of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction discussed the programs and reuse of existing spaces that inspire change at the Noble Correctional Institution.

At this rural, minimum- and medium-security adult facility, flower gardens throughout the complex are manned by the incarcerated population. The plants and vegetables cultivated from those gardens are then donated to local food banks, nursing homes and churches, instilling a connection to the outside community for the incarcerated.

“They find a sense of purpose and accomplishment as they see those plants grow, and they love being able to donate and help the community,” said Starr.

She says those gardens also create a sense of agency for the incarcerated population, as they can choose what kinds of plants they grow, and can eat the vegetables themselves.

The department also implemented a beekeeping program at the Noble facility, where honey is harvested and sold to staff.

Inside the facility, spaces were upgraded to create a better aesthetic experience for residents, staff and visitors alike. Changes included new paint colors, furniture and inmate-created murals on visiting room walls. Starr also highlighted the library added to the visitation area, which she says encourages literacy and family bonding during visits.

The facility hosts community engagement events during the summer and holiday seasons, further cementing connections between incarcerated people and their families and the surrounding community.

Lastly, Starr talked about a pond installed on the Noble compound — a two-year project that initially spurred safety and security concerns. However, by communicating and securing buy-in from staff, Starr said they were able to complete the project, and now have a new space where staff and inmates can relax and let go of their daily stresses.

Implementing the ‘Virginia Model’

Finally, Mike Seville, Warden of the Lawrenceville Correctional Center in Virginia, talked about the cultural transformation at his facility over recent years.

Formerly the only private-run prison in the state, the Virginia Department of Corrections assumed control of the facility in 2024. At that time, Seville said Lawrenceville was plagued by drug overdoses, violence and contraband, and as the first state warden, he was tasked with building a new staff and instilling facility-wide changes.

A central part of that effort was building a model based on behavior, not just security levels.

“We wanted to foster a culture of accountability, personal investment and creating a sense of community by aligning meaningful incentives with effective sanctions,” said Seville

Seville examined root causes of behavior and sought to make achievable changes that could have larger ripple effects within the population. He said upgrading food — including adding a salad bar to the cafeteria — and providing enhanced mattresses for the incarcerated were two of those small things that made a bigger difference.

Seville also made aesthetic modifications throughout the facility, such as removing unused fencing, improving sidewalks, repairing gym and greenhouse spaces and repainting buildings. He discussed repurposing spaces, such as turning a former baseball field that had been a major contraband entry point into a crop field offering gainful employment through the facility’s agribusiness program for up to 50 inmates.

Those investments are paying off, as Seville says violence and drug incidents are drastically down at the facility.

“Details matter when it comes to our environment,” said Seville. “This is a shared environment, and we have a shared responsibility in outcomes. If you can create that kind of investment from the population, they care more about the upkeep.”