Designing Hope: How Prison Design Experts Are Reimagining Correctional Spaces
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When Kavan Applegate first walked into a prison as a 21-year-old architecture student, he couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental was missing. Not just bars or security systems but hope itself.
"I saw so many people whose lives had taken a very different path from mine," recalls Kavan, now a Principal at Guymer Bailey Architects in Australia. "I was fortunate enough to be there only for a day, in a professional capacity, and able to go home at night. That experience never left me."
On the other side of the world, Dr. Marayca Lopez was taking a different path to the same destination. As a criminologist turned justice planner at DLR Group in the United States, she approached incarceration through a lens of understanding rather than judgment.
"I've always been a person who believes in the goodness of people," Marayca explains. "Through my training, I learned to ask, 'what has happened' to people rather than viewing them through the lens of 'what is wrong' with them."
These two perspectives, one architectural, one criminological, would eventually converge through their work with the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), a global network dedicated to advancing humane and effective correctional practices. Both Kavan and Marayca are leaders as, respectively, co-chair and board liaison, of ICPA's Planning and Design Network, where they support ICPA members and the broader corrections community to consider the impact of the built environment on the people housed in prisons through bringing evidence and good practice to the broader community.
Now, they're bringing their combined expertise to a larger stage.
From April 21-24, 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, ICPA will host the inaugural Prison Design and Technology Conference (PDTC), the first international conference to unite correctional design, technology, and infrastructure under one roof.
Co-organized by ICPA and Morocco's Directorate General for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR), the conference carries an ambitious theme: "Humane and Resilient Futures: Rethinking Prisons through Innovation, Infrastructure, and Technology."
For Kavan and Marayca, PDTC represents a chance to challenge the status quo and prove that prisons don't have to choose between security and humanity.
"Often, we are faced with similar challenges around the world," says Marayca. "We can learn from each other and continue to find better, more sustainable, and more cost-effective ways to improve the lives of incarcerated people and the staff that work with them, making communities safer, too."
Beyond Bars and Concrete
The questions they're tackling aren't simple. How do you design a space that's secure but doesn't feel punitive? How do you balance operational efficiency with human dignity? Can architecture actually reduce violence and self-harm?
According to Marayca, the answer starts with understanding trauma.
"For people to change, grow, and better themselves, we must plan safe spaces where people can be treated and design them in a way that people can heal," she says."The process of healing is highly dependent upon the action and interaction we experience in those spaces."
Kavan agrees but adds, what may appear, a counterintuitive twist: "Designs and operating models that support rehabilitation, prioritize staff wellbeing, and encourage positive interaction between staff and incarcerated people are safer and more secure environments. Security shouldn't be an overlay; it should be integrated within a therapeutic and trauma-informed design response."
The evidence backs them up. Research by Professor Dominique Moran has shown that facilities with more green space inside their perimeters experience lower levels of self-harm and violence. Staff report fewer sickness absences. The benefits are especially pronounced for younger and unsentenced individuals, and in overcrowded settings.
"Exposure to outdoor green spaces or even images of nature provide restorative effects, increased calm, and opportunities for reflection," Marayca notes. "This isn't just nice to have, it’s essential infrastructure.”
The Human Return on Investment
But what about cost? Correctional facilities are among the most resource-intensive public buildings, operating 24/7, 365 days a year. Surely all this focus on wellbeing and sustainability must come with a hefty price tag?
Not quite, says Kavan. "The initial construction costs are significant, but they're often eclipsed by ongoing operational expenses. Even modest improvements in energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction can yield substantial long-term savings."
Marayca emphasizes another kind of return: "The most sustainable investment within correctional facilities is investing in incarcerated people and staff. Breaking the cycle of recidivism and generational incarceration can eeduce the overall human and environmental impact."
She recalls a powerful example: "I've seen facilities where smaller, safer units, when combined with the right staffing models and meaningful engagement, can be managed at equal or lower cost compared to larger ones. Plus, they offer greater flexibility for future use."
Kavan has his own measuring stick for success. I will never forget one interaction with a previously incarcerated person who told me, '
"There was something about that place, the opportunities offered to me, the care of the staff, and the training facilities that gave me confidence in my skills, and the place just made me feel like there was a better life for me. Since release, I've had the same full-time job for over three years, my son has a stable household, and I know I won't ever be going back."
"That," he says simply, "is why we do this work."
Climate, Context, and Cultural Sensitivity
One size doesn't fit all when it comes to correctional design. A facility in Morocco faces different climate challenges than one in Norway. Cultural expectations vary. Resources differ.
Kavan emphasizes the importance of climate-adaptive design: "In hot climates, for example, high thermal mass construction, optimized building orientation, and shade-providing vegetation allow for safe outdoor access while mitigating heat and supporting wellbeing. Water management systems like rainwater collection are essential in drought-prone regions."
Marayca adds that adaptability extends beyond physical infrastructure. "Facilities that are purposefully designed to enhance the wellbeing of both incarcerated individuals and staff will remain relevant over time. While the composition of the population may shift, the foundational principles of trauma-informed and biophilic design remain universally applicable."
A Growing Movement
The success of the 2024 international planning-and-design conference in Istanbul, which drew over 250 delegates from around the world, proved there's appetite for this conversation. Marayca still benefits from the connections she made there.
"More than ever, my hope comes from an emerging 'conscientious' client base that is heavily invested in social responsibility and the environment," she says. "I'm also hopeful about the growing cooperation between correctional agencies, research organizations, people with lived experience, and community interest groups."
For Kavan, hope comes from a simpler place: "The positive feedback from people with lived experience and staff about the impact of rehabilitative environments on their mental health, their sense of self-worth, their enjoyment of each day, and their hope for the future."
He pauses, then adds: "And I have to say, the conference is in Morocco. We think that's very exciting."
PDTC 2026 will feature exhibitors, live technology demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, and tours of local prison facilities. It's designed for correctional practitioners, architects, planners, technology developers, policymakers, and anyone interested in the intersection of justice and design.
"This is a unique opportunity for correctional practitioners to come together in exchanging field knowledge and expertise with social innovators and reformers," says Marayca. "Through this mix of formats, conferences like this offer a platform like no other for creative thinking, technology development, and innovation."
As Kavan sees it, the stakes couldn't be higher: "Our fundamental belief is that our environment profoundly influences us. If we can create architecture that offers hope and can change lives, we have a responsibility to do so."
The Prison Design and Technology Conference takes place April 21-24, 2026, in Rabat, Morocco. Additional information is available through the International Corrections and Prisons Association website.
Because in the end, this isn't just about buildings. It's about people, and the possibility of transformation.
