With the threat of escalating extreme temperatures and their proven adverse impact on peoples’ physical and mental health; capital investment in the thermal performance of carceral infrastructure offers an immediate and effective baseline to mitigate risk and provide humane and sustainable custodial care.
The research includes a study of available literature and analysis by sustainable design specialists to establish the thermal context and performance of existing facilities; anecdotal evidence from state-based Corrective Agencies on the risk of extreme temperatures to prisoner behaviour, staff well-being and operating costs and discussion with inhouse prison design specialists to outline design interventions that improve thermal performance and mitigate disruptive behaviour in carceral environments.
Moderator Els Van Herck, Ministry of Justice, Belgium
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Samantha Rouche
Architect, NBRS, Australia
Samantha is a registered architect in the Secure Spaces sector at NBRS in Melbourne, Australia. Sam has worked on projects across various sectors for firms in South Africa and the United Kingdom before settling in Australia with a focus on Secure Spaces developments. These including the Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre, the Alice Springs Correctional Centre and in a state advisory role on expansion projects across Melbourne, Victoria. Having researched rehabilitation in an urban African context, Samantha is passionate about the potential good design has to create inclusive and healing spaces that can reduce recidivism and looks to innovative and sustainable building practices to achieving normalised and humane carceral environments.
