The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors last week adopted new rules in its Code of Ethics regarding the design of justice facilities.
"We are committed to promoting the design of a more equitable and just built world that dismantles racial injustice and upholds human rights," said AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA in the statement. "Specifically, AIA members are required to uphold the health, safety and welfare of the public. Spaces for execution, torture and prolonged solitary confinement contradict those values. This decision emphasizes AIA’s commitment to making a difference on this issue and upholding human rights for our society."
According to the AIA, the new rules to its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct prohibit members from "knowingly designing spaces intended for execution and torture, including indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more per day without meaningful human contact, for more than 15 consecutive days."
To view the complete text of the new rules added to the AIA's Code of Ethics, click here.
56 Comments
It's about time. I would have preferred it go further, but I'll take it.
Good example of empty AIA gesture that doesn't do anything about the issue at hand
Speaking of empty gestures that don't do anything about the issue at hand...
Ethics, empty gestures, okay, got it.
The correct peon response in 2020 is to run away and hide from the problem rather than run towards it and address it head on. There's nothing wrong per se with banning AIA members from doing this and that bad thing. But it won't stop the bad thing from happening. Just like all of the social justice initiatives makes everyone sleep well as Chinese slaves produce all of the material and products.
What more can / should architects do to solve this problem? How is your sentiment here something other than letting perfect be the enemy of good? Honest questions, I'd like to know what, if any, constructive ideas you have to buttress your criticism.
Laws against murder don't prevent murder?
How about creating a list or map where we can see who actually designs each prison and a quality rating of each. As opposed to Teeing up some PR for the NYT corrupt critics to take credit for "changing the profession for the better" BS. Mission accomplished!
Let me see if I follow, you want essentially, a travel guide, about which death chambers are good, and which ones are bad? Or, which solitary confinement is best to stay in while awaiting sentencing, and which ones get your poached eggs right? That's what you are talking about?
"You're popular on Google Maps! Upload photos and rate SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON."
So where’s your way to actually do something about the issue? Oh right, you don’t care beyond displaying sanctimony on Archinect. You two are as worthless as any know and do nothing jeerer from the cheap seats. Nobody is going to care about prisons unless there is transparency—so we know what we are talking about. Otherwise nobody is going to believe more hysteria from manipulative social media mobs. Which would do a lot more than some empty unenforceable gesture.
From what I’ve seen, US prisons are comparatively posh compared with some third world jails. But of course, nobody in the social media mob that know runs the AIA has any perspecitve.
So, yelp for prisons? Who writes the reviews? Prisoners or Guards? I dunno this seems weak.
I think, as the (relative) gatekeepers to the creation of space, architects' main leverage in reducing human rights violations is to, as a profession, refuse to design spaces that facilitate human rights violation. There are, of course, many other avenues of influence and other solutions that are stronger and more effective, but we'd be pursuing those as citizens / activists, not primarily as architects. It's important to distinguish what we can do as people from what the profession can do as a profession. So, I'll ask again, *as Architects*, what more can / should we do to solve this problem?
Chemex, fuck you. You don't know me, what I say beyond this site, or what I do in my own time offline, yet you feel like you can assume what I do and do not do, then use that bullshit straw man to try and beat me down. So I say again, fuck you. I target you because you talk and talk and talk, then when people take issue with your dribbling, pestilent, worthless mouth-leavings, you don't do anything except attack them personally. You know when I attack people personally? AFTER they attack me personally. Otherwise I question and challenge their STATEMENTS, their IDEAS, their POSTS. Something you're incapable of doing without making it personal. You tiny, worthless, ignorant wanker.
Der der you don’t know me der der. Keep barking at everything I say, like my dog. You’re the moron who will never be anything because you can’t think for yourself. Otherwise, the point of architecture isn’t just to build buildings, it’s to show people how the quality of space and design effects the quality of people’s lives. But that isn’t even the main issue with prisons, it’s that our sick culture doesn’t value human experience whether in prisons or anywhere else. Then you get morons on here asking why anyone would care about that — it’s the whole point
Chemex your response above about third world prisons is similar to telling a US woman who fears she will lose her job if she reports her boss for inappropriate touching that she should shut up because women in the third world aren't allowed to drive. It rings hollow: because things are terrible somewhere else doesn't mean that we should accept them being bad here.
This will be my last "bark." You're going on ignore with all of the other numb nuts who think they're smart because they ignore reality.
No, Donna, the problem here is that most people in prison don’t deserve to be there in the first place. Or are there because of desperate circumstance, just like any place in the world. Your attempt to draw some parallel with MeToo smacks of the same predictable sanctimony we expect from the Twitter peon mob
Anyone else want to score inane woke points while I make architectural comparisons of things that exist in reality ?
I'd rather you address the substantive points brought up here instead of dodging to the lowest hanging fruit and acting smug about it.
1/4 of the world's prison population. One of the few remaining western nation's to practice capital punishment. Yet you want to compare the US to Afghanistan. Okay. If that's the hill. Yet, you fail to understand what this is about, and you don't think that we can chew gum, and not build death chambers at the same time. Instead you and others seem woefully stuck on tired fucking tropes like "woke", SJW, and whatever else is stuck in your groove. Have it, this is a first step, nothing more, nothing less.
If only there was some corresponding consideration for the victims of crime, I might consider this a warm and fuzzy.
Your assumptions are carrying immense weight, here.
I'll be blunt here; you are out of your league, the death penalty is a racist tool, and is a fundamental failure in doing anything, but state sponsored murder.
I appreciate you being blunt. However tossing out the race card is simply the fallback for someone lacking a substantive position.
"lacking a substantive position" is kinda your forte, it seems.
We shouldn't design spaces intended for execution and torture for victims of crime either.
https://capitalpunishmentincontext.org/issues/race
https://apnews.com/article/discrimination-racial-injustice-united-states-archive-race-and-ethnicity-ded1f517a0fd64bf1d55c448a06acccc
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/aclu_dp_factsheet4.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/us/racial-gap-death-penalty.html?referringSource=articleShare
https://www.aclu.org/other/race-and-death-penalty
https://www.naacp.org/latest/naacp-death-penalty-fact-sheet/
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/dpic-analysis-racial-disparities-persisted-in-the-u-s-death-sentences-and-executions-in-2019
Do your work.
Is jla pathologically incapable of having a good opinion that isn't married to an absolutely abhorrent one?
Or was that a joke that didn't land? Might've been a joke that didn't land.
What did I miss?
What assumption, Pete?
That there are not "some corresponding consideration for the victims of crime."
Where is said statement, Pete?
Oh, I'm sorry, was I supposed to fill in the word "statement" in the opinion you wrote? I didn't realize this was "Bad Hot Take Mad Libs."
I'll play your silly word games...where is the AIA's consideration for the victims?
I apologize if the burden of backing up your bullshit is too much for you. I am not a member of the AIA, please direct your question to them or their representative. Maybe before you go off half cocked in a comment section, next time.
Where is the AIAs consideration for hot dog vendors in this matter?
Weak, mildly amusing.
Glad the discussion of prisons, incarceration, and state-sponsored killing is amusing to you.
My goodness, aren't you the personification of pretzel logic.
Honestly the practice of your Trumpian skills only entertains you. Why is the position of AIA, with respect to victims important? Was the trial and conviction not enough to satisfy justice?
.
Because I haven't bought into the predator as victim narrative. Those convicted of crimes for which solitary confinement or capital punishment is an option are NOT poor misunderstiood victims of circumstance, so no, a conviction is not sufficient. Before you come back with your woke nonsense, my brother was murdered and I assure you the damage and suffering inflicted on my family "Trumps" your argument.
Guess what, your brother's murder, isn't the business of the AIA, but participating in the creation of spaces to murder convicted criminals is. Your family got what is guaranteed by a just, democratic, and humane society; the criminal was caught, a trial was given, and a conviction was attained(?). I believe the death penalty isn't constitutional, you do, I think its application falls disproportionately on black people, you don't. So, genius, tell me how, or why the AIA should care about your feelings? We deal with space, fuck your feelings. Go talk to Jesus, I don't care about you, and your need for vengeance. I've got an aunt, whose body hasn't been found, and my family is certain her son murdered her, and we don't have justice, but I also don't want him killed by the state; I want him in prison. So yeah, my experience Trumps your feelings.
The AIA's statement went beyond capital pumishment. I dont cinsider it appropriate for a profeas
"Specifically, the AIA Board approved new rules to the Institute’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct prohibiting members from knowingly designing spaces intended for execution and torture, including indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more per day without meaningful human contact, for more than 15 consecutive days. The Board’s position is that the design of such spaces is inconsistent with the profession’s fundamental responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and uphold human rights."
There's nothing wrong with this statement. Nothing.
Stupid phone... I don't consider it appropriate for a professial organization to assume to speak for all.meme
Never mind...I'll respond when. I get to a real keyboard.
Torture, Solitary Confinement, and Death Chambers, go against this; health, safety and welfare of the public.
It shouldn't have taken this long. This was about money, not justice for victims.
Sorry, I disagree with your position.
So you're making this personal. You've abdicated logic and reason for vengeance. While understandable, it doesn't sway me. I empathise with you. I am sorry for your loss. But I'm also disappointed that it's hardened you in ways that prevent you from seeing the path to a solution that includes everyone, not just the people you feel deserve it.
If your goal is for the legal system to be an arbiter of your personal vengeance, then you're barely better than the criminals against whom you seek it.
Oh, now I know why. For the record, my Aunt, her body still hasn't been found, but the son that murdered her, died a few weeks ago from a stroke. So, if there is a hell, he's in it, and justice, still wasn't served. Oh, and by the by, the victim and murderer; both white.
Curious what the engineers will concoct instead now that the AIA has finally taken a stance...
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