Between redemption and resilience

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the built environment as a means of succeeding in the effort to rehabilitate convicted people, highlighting the psychological repercussions of the correctional framework. The research involves the study of both national and international institutions and it is meant to provide a polyvalent understanding of the complex prison environment and subculture, in order to emphasize change. The paper reveals the fundmental issues of the criminal backgrounds regarding the custody conditions of people sentenced or deprived of liberty. The prevailing disciplinary architecture in the design of the Romanian prison (mainly used as a form of control), the improper conditions assured by the detention facilities, the damage that prison atmosphere causes to individuals, as well as the low number of studies on these topics lead to a (re)thinking of architecture in a sustainable way (both in terms of environmental damage and lifestyle - expectations, needs, priorities), in order to provide an advantageous rehabilitation environment for incarcerated people, bringing benefits not only to individuals but also to society. The study joins international struggle to identify ways of improving punitive human habitat, given the current endeavour made for the preservation of the planetary environment and also considering the current European criminal policies on developing the capacity of prison systems to fulfill their dual mission: to exercise social control over the custody of prisoners and to support them in the process of social reintegration. In order to achieve these targets, the elements of architectural language that shape the built environment are identified. New methods and techniques for approaching the detention environment that positively influence, equally, the life of inmates and the activity of workers are studied. The research aims to identify the most sustainable solutions for the design of detention environments, based on the scientific literature in the field and according to the European legislation, in order to improve the correctional conditions and the quality of inmates' lives, as well as to reduce the recidivism rate among criminals.