Design for social justice is an ongoing body of work using co-design to inform positive change within NSW justice system. The work began at Designing Out Crime and then The Design Innovation Research Centre at UTS in Sydney, where a collective of designers, architects, spatial psychologist, social practitioners, criminalogists and historians collaborated with inmates, families, and justice staff on projects redesigning parts of prisons, courts and community corrections. The aim was to bring lived experiene into design and decision making and increase humanity, dignitigy and social justice within the justice system. The work is now continuing through a network of practitioners. Contact Rohan Lulham for informantion - rohan.lulham@sydney.edu.au
INTENSIVE LEARNING CENTRE - KEMPSY CORRECTIONAL CENTRE
Collaborating with inmates, teachers and correctional staff to design and construct a learning space in prison. The space supports inmates to engage in an intensive program of numeracy, literacy, ITC, art and vocational training and draws on models of 21st Century learning, Indigenous pedagogy and learning within a therapeutic community. All furniture and buildings were designed to be prefabricated and constructed by inmates in vocational training programs across NSW.
Publications:
Design research and concept report
Post Ocupancy Evaluation
Design Guidelines
VIDEO COURT APPEARANCES
In NSW court appearances are increasingly happening through video link. Making sure these encounters work well means more than a reliable connection, for remote defendants the court atmosphere, rituals and subtle interactions can be lost, and for the judiciary and legal practitioners (even with high levels of training) viewing a remote defendant may influence the way that person is perceived. This project involved co-designing both the video court rooms in correctional facilities, the court room interface as well as information material to support defendants through the complex process.
Publications:
Design research and documentation of designs
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS AND FAMILY VIDEO VISITS
Co-designing community corrections offices to support therapeutic learning, spaces that look forward rather than look back, and cater to the complex social dynamics that happen in those spaces. Also designing the service and domestic style spaces for families to connect via video to loved ones in prison.
Publications:
Design research and concept report
CASE CONFERENCING AT LEGAL AID NSW
in 2019 there was a NSW reform that introduced mandatory pre-court case conferences for some type of offences. These are negotiations between defendants, their lawyers and prosecution. These are complex conversations that involve difficult decisions, people negotiating in person and through video link and situations where people can’t see or hear each other. This project explored explored practices, spaces, technology and information material to support challenging situations.
LEARN TO WORK WORK TO LEARN
The project aims to assist Corrective Services Industries (CSI) to provide spaces that enable the effective integration of educational components within vocational programs in NSW Correctional Centres. Our focus in this project will be on how Overseers, Educators and Learners use, or could ideally use, the vocational program ‘space’ to promote participant learning of key vocational, educational and social skills.
Publications:
Design research, spatial designs and program recommendations
