the architecture of oppression

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

ABOUT Project Details
Currently over 2.4 million people are incarcerated in the state prison system in the United States. This figure is a result of dramatic spike in incarceration since 1980, in which the U.S. prison population has grown 800%. The U.S. prison population far out numbers every other country on a per capita basis. Today, 734 of each 100,000 Americans are behind bars. Within this population, two statistics stand out: 72% of prison inmates are incarcerated for non-violent offenses and 55% of the overall prison population is serving time for drug related charges. The flaws within the U.S. prison system become more apparent every day and the future of the incarceration prototype is of paramount importance. This thesis explores to what extent architecture can move prisons closer to their goal of rehabilitation and reduced recidivism. Prison conditions, prisoner-officer relations and the psychology of value and worth are evaluated as principal factors in the effort to reform this underachieving model of society. This project challenges the status quo of the prototypical U.S. prison through an evaluation of parts and processes influenced by literature, law, psychology, humanity and space. Through the use of a variety of research methods and mediums, the organization and operation of such a facility is dissected and reassembled with attention to chaos theory and the concept of strange attractors.
Location: Date: EVENT: Typology:
Brooklyn, NY Fall 2015 / SPRING 2016 MASTER'S THESIS CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
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