THE LIMITS OF ARCHITECTURE – OPEN PRISONS

Can architecture contribute to reducing prisoner recidivism rates? The design and functioning of prisons is the result of two approaches - restrictive and humane. The restrictive policy results in closed (standard) prisons, where 20,000 people are serving prison sentences in the Czech Republic.

In European comparison, they have one negative feature: a high recidivism rate. Up to 70% of those previously convicted return to prisons again. A humane approach sees serving a sentence as preparation for smooth integration into the outside world. To this end, the concept of the "open prison" was developed in Europe a century ago. It is a facility where people are incarcerated but also learn to gradually re-enter society. The recidivism rate in these facilities is only 10%.

The prison system is the result of a combination of three aspects – laws, people (prison service) and architecture. These three components must be in harmony for the administration of punishment to fulfill its purpose.

 So what does an open prison look like and work like? This is what architect Andrea Seelich and lawyer Robert Pelikán discussed.

The traditional form of imprisonment is restrictive, punishing the prisoner, taking away his privacy and his ability to make decisions. The architectural design of the buildings corresponds to this, isolating the individual from the environment, from society, but also from the habits that are necessary for life in society. Buildings built for other purposes are used for prisons, and the prison sector has long been underfunded. Enforced passivity can become a barrier to returning from prison and can lead to the cultivation of harmful habits. NGOs or mediation services such as the Lelkuje.me initiative help with the transition to free life.

"To reduce recidivism and make prisons more humane, there needs to be synergy between legislation, staff attitudes and architecture."

- Andrea Seelich -

The Czech prison system is based on a totalitarian model without individual work with the offender. Prisoners live in cells of up to 15 people, so their psyche is mainly influenced by the inner world of the cell/ward. According to Andrea Seelich (according to some unofficial data) the appropriate space per prisoner is 12 m2, the minimum in the EU is 4-6 m2, in the Czech Republic it is 1.85 m2. In the Czech Republic, approximately 20,000 people are serving their sentences and the recidivism rate is 70%, but this figure is hardly comparable with other European countries because the way of calculating recidivism is not uniform in Europe. In the Czech Republic, we work with a lifetime recidivism rate for convicted persons, while elsewhere we work with only three or five years.

The concept of open prisons is based on the humanisation of the prison environment, creating a bridge between isolation and wider society. It is designed primarily for prisoners placed in low-security wards, who are more likely to be successfully integrated back into 'normality'. It originated a century ago in Germany when prisoners with light sentences were sent to work in agriculture and were 'housed' in a house close to work. In an open prison, inmates care for the grounds, accepting responsibility for their activities and duties. It has a lower overall capacity of inmates (under 50), there are fewer guards and all staff are fully identified with the idea of open prison. Closed and open prisons should form a single unit, and the decision to place a prisoner should not be made by a court but by the prison governor, who knows the prisoner and can monitor him. The possibility for the person in prison to work outside the premises and to have contacts with family and friends who can help with reintegration is key. The recidivism rate in such institutions is around 10%, but this is influenced by the selection of less pathological individuals.

The principles that an architect can work with in creating a more humane environment are similar to any community or treatment oriented architecture: plenty of light, distant views, airiness, common areas for work and play, but also space for privacy. The key is to be as natural as possible for the human senses. In the Czech Republic, unfortunately, awareness of modern prison architecture is low. A positive signal is perhaps the recent diploma thesis OPEN PRISON from the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University.

Robert Pelikán said that during his tenure at the Justice Ministry a reform was proposed with the aim of humanizing the prison system. It consisted of humanising the buildings, making them more pleasant, providing sufficient privacy, and making the cells single-person, but not isolating like solitary confinement. Another aim was to increase employment so that people in prison could cultivate work habits and thus gain material security. The ideal was a job that the prisoner could continue to hold after release. Key to the reform was an individual approach that allowed for personal development, retraining of the prisoner, help with debt and elimination of drug addiction. Parole, in partnership with social services, was intended to create better links between life in prison and life outside. The Prison Concept Paper is currently in force until 2025.

According to Robert Pelikan, the obstacle to building open prisons is the public's fear of funding too comfortable and pleasant a lifestyle for people who have offended against society. Open prisons should be located close to cities. But the communities in which this concept should be implemented or established have concerns about increased crime.

For example, the non-profit organization Rubikon has been working on this issue in the Czech Republic and its work has had a positive impact. A pilot project of an open prison was created in Jiřice. Its results will contribute to clarifying the answers to the basic dilemma of the prison system: do we want the prison to only punish, or can it also create space and shape for rehabilitation?