Hopkins Park Women’s Correctional Facility

[Forevermah]

 Projects
Hopkins Park Women’s Correctional Facility
Illinois Capital Development Board
Springfield, Illinois

Located 60 miles south of Chicago near Kankakee, the Hopkins Park Women's Correctional Facility will serve as the state's maximum-security women's correctional facility. The maximum-security facility will also serve as the reception and classification center for women inmates in the State of Illinois. Although the facility will be maximum security, HDR designers have taken a number of extra steps to make the facility less oppressive. The use of warm colors, human-scaled general population areas and canopies at entrances to the buildings break down the large scale of the institutional buildings. Acoustic techniques will be employed to dampen reverberation. The introduction of outdoor and indoor lighting schemes is designed to enhance observation of inmates while creating a less institutional appearance and atmosphere. Natural daylight will be used where possible.

Also included in the design is a buffer zone, including a retention pond, to help diminish the view from the highway. A visiting area, which blocks views of the inside of the prison, is designed so women can visit their families and children in a more normal atmosphere. The area includes a playground for visiting children, and the overall design encourages a congenial atmosphere which aids in the rehabilitation of inmates. The 17-building prison campus will have 1800 beds, of which 100 are designated for a minimum security unit, located outside the maximum-security section. Also included is a kitchen in which inmates can prepare their own meals, a medical facility which includes neonatal care equipment, and numerous classrooms for courses such as culinary arts and computer maintenance. The new Reception and Classification facility, co-located at Hopkins Park Women's Correctional Facility, will be a clearinghouse for all of Illinois’ female prisoners. They will remain at the facility for approximately a month before moving on to the appropriate prison.
Hopkins Park Women’s Correctional Facility, Springfield, Illinois

http://www.hdrinc.com/13/38/1/default.aspx?projectID=478

Picture posted in prison photos

[Jims]

Well holy cow. So, they believe humanizing the joint will help in the rehabilitative efforts of the female inmates. I would agree. But why limit the concept to the female inmates?

It's a great concept anyway. If it's successful, perhaps they'll extend it to the male inmates.