Youth-Oriented Design: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Design of Juvenile Detention Facilities

Barb Toews (University of Washington Tacoma)

Nationwide, approximately 50,000 youth are confined to residential facilities, such as juvenile detention centers, because of their involvement in the juvenile justice system. The goals of detainment are diverse – e.g., protect the community, provide substance abuse, mental health, and trauma services, hold youth accountable for their offenses, and provide educational services for the duration of confinement. Each of these goals suggest the need for different types of environments. Educational areas require design that is conducive to learning. Therapeutic goals are best served in an environment known to promote physical and mental health. Goals related to empathy and accountability can be facilitated in spaces that motivate and encourage reflection. The design of juvenile detention facilities rarely contains this type of environmental diversity or vision for well-being. Indeed, many juvenile facilities mirror adult prisons, characterized by cells and cellblocks, enclosed courtyards, limited outdoor views, and monotonous and dull materiality.This presentation will explore a juvenile facility design that is informed by restorative and trauma healing theories and educational design research. In addition to proposing a multidisciplinary design approach, the presenter will introduce an environmental assessment conducted at a juvenile facility, which included staff and detained youth in the assessment process. This methodology included the use of checklists as well as image-based data collection. She will discuss the resulting recommendations and their aim to integrate the three theories.