AIA New York released a statement showing initiative towards impactful reform. The letter urges to create actionable steps to dismantling racial and social injustice issues sustained by the criminal justice system. The Chapter addressed they will no longer "reward or highlight work that perpetuates harmful and unjust systems, including criminal justice facilities in the current US context."
Below is an excerpt from their Criminal Justice Facilities Statement:
For too long, architects have been complicit in upholding intrinsic racism within the American criminal justice system. While many architects have attempted to mitigate injustice by applying their professional skills to associated built structures, ultimately, it is beyond the role of design professionals to alleviate an inherently unjust system. Until more comprehensive policy changes are made on a national scale, good design alone is not enough to remove or overcome the racism inherent within the criminal justice system. It is time we listen to Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities that have long suffered due to unjust societal norms and outcomes.
We must all take actionable steps to address the racism sustained by our criminal justice system.
Until there is measurable reform in the American criminal justice system to apply the law without racial bias, AIA New York is taking leadership on this issue. We are calling on architects no longer to design unjust, cruel, or harmful spaces of incarceration within the current United States justice system, such as prisons, jails, detention centers, and police stations. We instead urge our members to shift their efforts towards supporting the creation of new systems, processes, and typologies based on prison reform, alternatives to imprisonment, and restorative justice.
The New York Chapter has taken it upon themselves to address architecture's role in reinforcing and perpetuating injustice towards Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. They aim to encourage its members to "redirect their efforts towards restorative justice and other meaningful reforms."
5 Comments
Prisons, just like most of the built world, is outside of the scope of architects, thanks to corrupt organizations like the AIA. Until culture and politics, and the professional structure itself, values humanism again, we are lost — unfortunately this is a bunch of bureaucrats trying to make a name for themselves on architects dimes. Same as always.
Restorative justice is just another meaningless buzzword. Fix the drug penalties and be done with it, but don’t pretend a “I’m sorry” is good enough when you get shot and robbed
No-one is "pretend(ing) a (SIC) “I’m sorry” is good enough when you get shot and robbed", but I think you know that already.
Architects design prisons.
What do YOU know about Restorative Justice? Without Google mind you.
beta can I recommend you do some journalism on this, give your real world experiences, etc...
Unfortunately, I was never able to go through any Restorative Justice programs, but being here, and knowing a little more about it, I have some reservations. Race is a factor.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.