An analysis of prison design (England and Wales) and the prospects for change?

The aim of the paper is to contribute to architectural thought in relation to a specific set of building types - prisons. Both subjects are in their different ways, defined by conflicting concepts and values. There are two objectives, to examine how design and penal purposes relate to each other, and to explore the mismatch between design intentions and the 'social' purpose of prisons. The Introduction (7-14) discusses the problems of organising the study. The question was resolved by focussing on the pervasive conflict generated by prisons and imprisonment and then organising this work into functional, causative, analytical and evaluative sections. Chapter I (15-56) traces the progress of research into an hypothesis that prison design could be improved by adapting research and evaluation techniques developed for hospitals. Research techniques, obstacles to value-free research, the practicalities of administration and publicity, and textual research into prison and hospital design are described. The chapter constitutes proof of the Null Hypothesis. Chapter II (57-106) examines the causes of conflict and argues that the prison system is configured by history, bureaucracy and socio-political influences. Chapter III (107-190) contains 2 case studies. The first is of the Prison Design Briefing System, a model scheme produced by the Home Office in 1988, and the second is of the phased redevelopment of Holloway Prison. The chapter opens by comparing and contrasting basic principles of the projects, describes the background and then analyses the studies, and in the case of Holloway, discusses consequences. Chapter IV (191-214) The Conclusions examine the nature and effects of hidden values, conflict as determinant, paradigmatic shifts, social attitudes and the incidence of crime. Within this sociological context, a philosophy of prison design is proposed. A Bibliography (216-244) and Appendices (listed at 245) are appended.