Addressing violence in prisons

Canadian penitentiaries have remained much the same from the creation of Kingston Penitentiary in 1835, the first official correctional facility in Canada (Correctional Services Canada [CSC], n.d.), to current times. With a growing number of complaints around the maximum- and medium-security prisons, it may be time to change the narrative around retributive architecture. Situational crime prevention (SCP), defensible space (DS) and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) all have previous proven successes in their application in schools, hospitals, and public spaces to reduce criminality and aggression. In this honours thesis, a literature review and content analysis were conducted to explore the applicability of SCP, DS, and CPTED to correctional settings. Six articles were analyzed using the pre-operationalized definitions as set out by Cozen et al. (2005), Clarke (1997), and Moran and Dolphin (1986). Nine strategies were found to have applicability to correctional settings, with eight of those found to reduce aggression or violence within an institutional setting. Recommendations from the selected eight strategies were completed to create a checklist for Canadian institutions to aid in the implementation of SCP, DS, and CPTED strategies. A theoretical discussion was conducted around the broader applicability of SCP, DS, and CPTED. While it is acknowledged that the instrument created through this thesis does not capture all the possible recommendations or solutions that would fit into a SCP, DS, or CPTED framework, it is hoped that it creates the start of a political change towards that of a focus on rehabilitative architecture.