In two US cities, Baltimore and New York, major new detention center building initiatives are underway that will transform the experience of people in contact with the justice system. Both plans are intended to reduce trauma and to promote positive outcomes, addressing risk and need in ways that build desistance and help restore the person to a healthy, fulfilling life. While sharing common goals, the physical forms of the buildings and their place in the community have significant differences, and this presentation is intended to compare and contrast these features.
Like the two cities in Dickens’ novel, the context for each is revealing of character and sets the arc of the narrative. The effect of the trauma of confinement is ever present, haunting the protagonist and those who love him. Our two new buildings are partly shaped by memory and context and must consider what has gone before in order to propose a new narrative, one that points to healing and restoration, both for the people the system serves, as well as the communities where the presence of a jail building defines a neighborhood.
The similarities of the projects in size (850/1040 beds), context (site of demolished former jail), density (busy urban locations) offers a neutral point of departure for their differences. Without judgement, these differences will be explored, and their potential to affect desistance considered. Their parallel and simultaneous development offers lessons in delivery methodologies, culture, and community that will be influential across the US.
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Frank Greene
Chief Justice Architect, STV, United States
Frank is an internationally recognized leader in the planning and design of forensic/psychiatric facilities, courts, secure detention facilities, and juvenile centers. He brings more than 30 years of experience in this specialized practice area, collaborating with owners, users, and surrounding communities to develop facilities that enhance the vitality of the civic realm and improve the public experience of the justice system. Frank applies leading-edge best practices to design responsive and restorative facilities that respect the dignity of patients and their families while also facilitating efficient and safe operations. A pioneer at incorporating sustainable practices in justice facilities, he is the former Chair of the AIA’s Academy of Architecture for Justice, contributor to the AIA’s Sustainable Justice Guidelines, and editor of the AIA white paper titled Sustainable Justice 2040: Green Guide to Justice.
Frank received his Bachelor of Architecture from Howard University and continued his studies at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and is licensed to practice architecture in many US states and Ontario.
