A Study on the Prisons Morphology, Case of Albania

Abstract

Albanian prisons nowadays are becoming increasingly problematic. Despite the high expenses, the malfunctioning of the modern-day prisons is a clear indicator that they do not produce any good outcomes. In this situation, the Albanian central authorities are collaborating with international and local human rights organizations in order to implement some reforms which are crucial to the penitentiary system of Albania. There are 24 prisons in Albania. Most of them are small jails. Only nine of them have a high number of inmates and have a complex morphology. This research lays its foundations on the investigation and analysis of the prison morphology. By exploring the spatial design morphology, we may have a clear view of what is not working and how it can be improved. The historical background information and literature of this study are limited making this research difficult but unique about its results. It aims investigation and analysis of the prison morphology in Albania. Through the method of mapping, the layout of the prisons, its schematic drawings projected from the Google Images, the prisons morphologies are categorized. Moreover, through this technique the research makes two typology-based analyses for each prison: the physical analysis and the spatial quality analysis. The physical analysis products are the physical values of the buildings and, on the other hand, the spatial quality analysis shows us how the buildings work and communicate to each other and the impact that they have to the inmates. Such a research documents the present morphological layout of the prisons in Albania, which vary in form and organization, for a possible future reconstruction consideration.