Restorative Justice: Repair Rather than Punish
The shift in mindset and culture surrounding incarceration has significantly influenced the design and functionality of modern correctional facilities. The idea of “justice” was once synonymous with “retribution,” but the desired result of imprisonment today is restorative justice and successful reentry back into society.
A restorative justice initiative aims to repair rather than punish. According to the Restorative Justice Exchange, it requires programs that help incarcerated individuals take accountability for their actions, internally transform, and make amends to those they have harmed. But how productive are these programs if daily environments are stark, dangerous, and uncomfortable? Many facilities are updating their interior and exterior spaces with contemporary materials and finishes that reflect normative environments.
New Materials Bring Positive Change
Historically, steel, concrete, and masonry were used to build and furnish jails and prisons. While they are durable materials, they lack characteristics that contribute to more remedial settings. Current trends show that the emergence of molded polymers has brought significant, positive change to the industry in many ways.
Providing Comfort in Dayrooms & Common Areas
Promoting community and providing opportunities for healthy engagement is essential in dayrooms and common areas facilitating normative environments. Choosing non-threatening, attractive, comfortable, and safe furniture for staff and residents is the main priority. Cortech’s behavioral health chairs are safe for corrections and a practical solution for promoting well-being.
Minimizing Environmental Stressors
Individual rooms and holding cells should evoke relaxation rather than seclusion or punishment. Providing residents with home-like furnishings such as beds, storage shelves, desks, and chairs encourages a sense of normalcy.
Another important element to consider is stress caused by loud, unwanted noise. It can be difficult to avoid in these spaces, but one way to minimize this is by installing molded furnishings rather than traditional steel. Through independent testing developed by Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories in Geneva, IL, results concluded that comparable steel products produced twice as much noise as Cortech’s Normative Correctional Furnishings.
Taking a Holistic Approach
Restorative Justice cannot be achieved solely by changing environments. However, Normative Environments can certainly contribute to increased positivity, motivation, and overall well-being that aid individual rehabilitation.
