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REFORMING CORRECTIONAL HOMES THROUGH

ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA
CORRECTIONAL HOMES FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN DELHI

BY: SAMBHAVI VERMA

B.ARCH 8TH SEM

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APEEJAY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

GREATER NOIDA

CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION

I Sambhavi Verma here by declares that the work which is being presented in the dissertation entitled “
REFORMING CORRECTIONAL HOMES THROUGH ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA-
CORRECTIONAL HOMES FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN DELHI” is an outcome of my own research
and free from plagiarism.

It is my original work except where explicitly stated otherwise in the text and has not been previously
formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma or certificate of this or any other university. I have
duly acknowledged all the sources used by me in the preparation of this dissertation.

SAMBHAVI VERMA

02-05-2019

Greater Noida.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I have to thank my research supervisors, PROF. VIVEK

SABHERWAL, PROF. ANURAG VERMA and AR. SANTOSH TIWARI. Without
their assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process, this
paper would have never been completed. I would like to thank you very much for your
support and understanding over these past four months.
I would also like to show gratitude to my faculty board, including AR. KANIKA
VERMA, AR. SHYAMAL MISHRA, AR. JYOTSNA, AR. RICHA GOEL and
AR. KAPIL MEHTA. Their teaching style and enthusiasm for the topic made a
strong impression on me and I have always carried positive memories of their classes
with me. They assisted me with the statistical analysis in this dissertation and was
very patient with my knowledge gaps in the area.
Getting through my dissertation required more than academic support, and I have
many, many people to thank for listening to and, at times, having to tolerate me over
the past four months. I cannot begin to express my gratitude and appreciation for their
friendship. UNNATI KHANDURI, SHIKHA BHARTI, RASHI SRIVATAVA and
ANUPRIYA CHATTERJEE, SHASHANK SINGH have been unwavering in their
personal and professional support during the time I spent at the College. For many
memorable evenings out and in, I must thank everyone.
Most importantly, none of this could have happened without my family. Despite
my own limited devotion to correspondence. With their own brand of humor, they
have been kind and supportive to me over the last several years. Every time I was
ready to quit, they did not let me and I am forever grateful. This dissertation
stands as a testament to your unconditional love and encouragement.

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ABSTRACT:
As the want for larger confinement becomes progressively apparent, our
nation’s punitive facilities are getting used at unacceptable levels with conditions of
overcrowding changing into intolerable. This thesis directs its concern to wherever crime begins and
majorly to develop a top quality design that not solely improves the non-public growth of the females
however additionally improves their psychological heath.
My thesis aims on the psychological impact of house in human mind. i would like to boost the living
conditions of the inmates not solely by up the standard of house; i am additionally interested to seek
out bent on what extent the standard of space will minimize their criminal instincts and support the
rehabilitation programs. design alone cannot solve a grave social element like this.
And areas are perpetually joined to the activities related to it. however design should have a job to
play during this drawback if it the least bit aims at the betterment of the society.
Primarily, to alter someone's psychological outlook, there has to be a whole amendment of scenery. the
explanation for amendment of scenery is to form a clean break from the habits (behavioral
patterns) that landed them during a bullpen.
The dissertation includes issues which have come to dominate discussions surrounding incarceration and a
response to the commonly asked question: should incarcerative facilities be moving toward rehabilitation
rather than punishment?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certificate ii
Acknowledgments iii.
Abstract iv.
Contention vii

1) ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………………………….1.
2) INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………………2.
3) DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM ……………………………………………………………..2.
4) STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM …………………………………………………………….3.
5) KEY QUESTIONS ……………………………………………………………………………….3.
……SUB RESEARCH QUESTIONS

6) RELEVANCE OF THE TOPIC …………………………………………………………………4.

7) MAJOR REASONS FOR FEMALE DELIQUENCY …………………………………………..5.
8) AIM ………………………………………………………………………………………………5.
9) OBJECTIVE ……………………………………………………………………………………..5.
10) METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………………………………………6.
11) DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ……………………………………………………….6.
12) CASE STUDIES (4) ……………………………………………………………….………….7-11.
13) REHABLITATIVE ENVIRONMENT ………………………………………………………12-13.
14) LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………………………………14-18.
…..PENAL TYPOLOGY AND PRECEDENTS

15) ANALYSIS ………………………….…………………………………………………… 19-20.

16) CONTRIBUTION ………………………………………………………………………………20.
17) CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………………………………21.
18) BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………………………22.
19) APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………………….23-25.

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“Despite a personal revulsion, we think of correctional homes as always having been with us. We tend to
forget that they were the invention of one generation to serve very special needs, not the only possible
reaction to social problems. In fact, since the Progressive era, we have been gradually escaping from
institutional responses, and one can foresee the period when incarceration will be used still more rarely
than it is today. In this sense the story of the origins of the asylum is liberating. We need not remain
trapped in inherited answers. An awareness of the causes and implications of past choices should
encourage us to a greater experimentation with our own solutions.”
David J. Rothman The Discovery of The Asylum: Social Order and Disorder in the New Republic, 1971

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CONTENTION:
Correctional homes should aspire to become a place for the promotion of mental health as a positive
state; a place lessening the risk of deterioration of mental health through high-quality care and
environment for inmates to thrive.
The basis of correctional home design should be a therapeutic community. In order to design for
reform, the design must begin by bringing back the basic human needs of the inmates. It will begin
with a plan of a community configuration that promotes social interaction; the aspect of treatment will
be inserted, imposing a program that requires effective communication between inmates. Finally, the
need for security will work its way through the organization of the private and public spaces in order
to maintain safety.
The overall design producing a high level of containment remains and exists as the element of
punishment through the loss of personal freedoms. Spaces of solitary confinement and isolation are
the most detrimental to the mental health of any patient. In order to influence positive mental health,
spaces must promote human interaction with the objective of instilling a sense of community in the
inmates. A community is composed of varying architectural elements that create private and public
spaces with different types of restrictions at different times.

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INTRODUCTION:
Crime is associate anti-social behavior. Crime happens once somebody break the law by over act. Crime
rejects by the society. within the words of C. Clarence Seward Darrow “Crime is associate act prohibited
by the land and that penalty is prescribed”. The thought of crime may be a relative and
sophisticated one, that is viewed as a norm breaking phenomenon of human society the least bit times and
has modified in accordance with the social-economic development of the society. the speed of crime
has raised hugely within the nowadays. the speed of feminine crime is gradual rising round the world.
And it's notably apparent in developed countries. The rising feminine rate could also be results
of fast social-economic changes,industrialization and consequently urbanization.

DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM:

Penal environments have adverse psychological effects on offenders, and despite current
efforts that admit programs to rehabilitate the bad person, most prisons fail in doing therefore. Penal
programmes and up to date policies aligned with positive amendment are undertaken
in superannuated, restrictive jail environments. though several of those establishments have undergone
renovation and melioration to develop their practicality, they're still mostly inadequate consequently
preventive the progress of rehabilitation programmes. This, and also the massive gap in transition
between the centre and also the outside world causes a rise in reverting rates.
Female offenders don't seem to be properly accommodated for within the male
dominated jail atmosphere, particularly in terms of rehabilitation before re-entry into society. Women’s
prisons are encircled by debatable commentaries about the problems of mental disease, substance
abuse and self-inflicted death.
These problems became more and more discernible to the general public within the ordinal century.
. variety of students and activists blame these problems upon a ‘gendered’ design; basic cognitive
process that the jail system was ‘designed by men, for men’. The punditry system claims to rehabilitate
and reform offenders throughout their time served at the centre despite these problems and also
the problematic increase in reverting rates.
During their term of imprisonment, ladies face a range of physical and psychological problems and a lot
of usually than not the put behind bars services are unequipped to modify them. Compared
to different females, ladies in jail have significantly higher rates of mental disease. 24 % of girls in
government prisons show signs of upset . the results of imprisonment, together with the detachment from
family and adapting to the penal atmosphere, will exacerbate these conditions. Upon unharness,
antecedently captive ladies feel demoralize and stigmatize by society, therefore sanctioning extra feelings
of low vanity.
The majority of the ladies come back to the communities within which they
lived before their imprisonment, wherever they face constant difficulties, of financial
condition and disfunction. most girls that received rehabilitative treatment in put behind bars facilities,
admitted that these programmes failed to give the brick skills to modify real world stressors
that anticipated them upon unharness. additionally, ladies have restricted access to support on the
skin, thanks to a scarcity of community services. Given the mental and half dozen physical standing of
incarcerated ladies, the lack to manage difficulties after imprisonment will impede a woman’s eminent re-
entry method . Consequently ex offenders reoffend because the lack of provisions for a eminent transition
to the community isn't properly thought-about.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
Indian society has modified staggeringly throughout last 20 years. The role of girls is turning

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into difficult. The involvement of girls in numerous criminal activities is rising up. Their range in jail is
rising day by day. However, there's no a lot of study on ladies prisoners. Though, few individuals have
done study on prisoners they're principally confining to male prisoners or
prisoners normally. considerably terribly less study has been conducted on ladies prisoners. although few
studies are done on ladies prisoners, most of them conducted outside India.

India. From the start there invariably are paid less attention
towards ladies prisoners. ladies prisoners are invariably lily-white from the society. this study has stressed
why do ladies commit crime? however their socio economic condition play as settled role in committing
crime. What perception they are doing have towards the jail life and
towards body functionaries. there's An utmost have to be compelled to study the ladies imprisonment and
their life.

KEY QUESTION:
How can female offenders be successfully rehabilitated to prevent re-offense upon release?

RESEARCH SUB-QUESTIONS:
1. Do correctional centers cause more harm than good, so much so, that they impede the successful re-
entry process of the offender?
2. What positive methods of rehabilitation and reintegration, from an architectural standpoint, can be
implemented into the design of incarcerative facilities?
3. How can prisons better accommodate for the specific rehabilitative needs of female offenders?

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RELEVANCE OF THE TOPIC:

As a student designer I think it's my social responsibility to handle this issue as a result of i feel in spite of
assorted Govt. and N.G.O activities the condition prevailing within the most punitive homes ar sub-
human.

My dissertation aims on the psychological impact of house in human mind. i would like to boost the
living conditions of the inmates not solely by up the standard of house; i am additionally interested to
seek out bent on what extent the standard of space will minimize their criminal instincts and support the
rehabilitation programs.

Architecture alone cannot solve a grave social element like this. And areas are perpetually joined to the
activities related to it.however design should have a job to play during this drawback if it the least
bit aims at the betterment of the society. Society isn't all regarding building sky scrapers,
market complicated and Convention centers whereas our kids and women are confined like animals.
The house designing, orientation , color, texture, space sizes and landscapes transcend than
simply being stunning.

I'm wanting forward in providing valuable suggestions concerning the project, materials for study or
links, case studies,pictures, reports or in the other approach I will.
I agree design alone cannot solve psychological issues, however it will produce and will them.
The problem with street youth is that the imperative would like for survival becomes lost with the
asocial perspective that they need a right to prey upon others as a result of others prey upon them.

Primarily, to alter someone's psychological outlook, there has to be a whole amendment of scenery. the
explanation for amendment of scenery is to form a clean break from the habits (behavioral
patterns) that landed them during a this bullpen.

Once their former asocial urban habits begin to fade from memory. Then new habits will be learnt and
dealing with their hands is that the fastest thanks to show that they need price as a result of they'll see that
the work they are doing has price.

In different words, the primary step is to get rid of the person physically out of the setting that caused the
issues. within the case of such urban-based street youth, I would advocate a rural-based farm that might in
all probability turn out its own food and act as a coaching centre for varied trades and crafts likewise as, if
necessary, basic schooling.

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MAJOR REASONS FOR FEMALE DELINQUENCY:

 Temptation for modern luxuries.
 Disintegrated family systems.
 Certain biological reasons.
 Poverty.
 Apart from these illiteracy, child labour, etc contribute to these.

AIM:
 To reduce psychological pressure.
 The goal is to teach, care and discipline children and women by providing them with a safe space for
them to make constructive changes in their lives with the help of basic needs, security, education, etc.

OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of the study are:
1. To illustrate the role of individual characteristics and environmental background variables in
female delinquency by using case study method.
2. To examine the perception of fairness of justice among the female delinquents.
3. To examine the extent to which the Female Justice Programme emphasize building on strength and
Positive Development.

The other sub objectives are:

1) To create a functional design by:
i. Providing proper circulation and interactive spaces.
ii. Using imaginative design ideas to implement with the landscape.
2) To use psychological architecture by:
i. The use of colour and lighting
ii. Creating open interior spaces to interact with outdoor spaces
3) Provide fitness centers to encourage physical health.
4) Proper rehabs and detention centers.

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METHODOLOGY:
The paper would be providing valuable suggestions regarding the project, materials for study or links,
case studies, photographs, reports. The paper would advocate a rural-based farm which could probably
produce its own food and act as a training center for various trades and crafts as well as, if necessary,
basic schooling.
This would be done through the following steps like :

• INTRODUCTION
• ABSTRACT
TOPIC • OBJECTIVE
• REASON FOR DELINQUENCY

DATA • PROBLEM STATEMENT

COLLECTION • CASE STUDIES LITERATURE REVIEW

• SITE SELECTION
• SITE ANALYSIS
DESIGNING • CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
• FINAL DESIGN

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:

Observation allowing a first-hand experience of the day-to-day goings on in the correctional environment
will be conducted. This will facilitate insight into the activities which govern offenders’ lives without
having to impose sensitive issues upon them. A record of descriptive and reflective notes will be used to
represent this data. Limitations to observational analysis includes its restriction to the day, the atmosphere
and activities may change during the night, therefore an all-inclusive interpretation may be lost. Also,
observation is subject to the researcher’s perspective, and the time allocated in the correctional
environment which is controlled by the authorities involved. Interviews will be conducted to gain an
understanding of the participants’ subjective views of the situation. Open-ended questions will be drawn
up to allow the participant to create options for responding, where 14 participants (fifteen in number) can
voice their experiences and perspectives as they wish to. This may also generate the likelihood of more
personal answers that may not be able to be discussed during focus group discussions. It should be noted
that individuals may bias their responses. The correctional architect will be interviewed individually to
gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced in terms of design policies of prisons as well as to
compare the success or failure of the prison in the eyes of the architect and the correctional staff. Focus
group discussions will be conducted with the social workers and wardens of the Correctional Centre. The
participants will be asked about their perceptions and opinions surrounding the key topics. This will allow
the researcher to obtain data and insights that may be withdrawn without the ease of communication
found in a group discussion. It will also allow the researcher to gain an understanding of the general
agreements and disagreements surrounding those topics. Responses of the research participants will be
coded and used to generate themes. The data from both the social workers and wardens will be brought
together, analyzed and then compared with the extant literature in order to make deductions about the
effect of the penal environment on the female offender. Contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions,
emotions, and relationships between individuals within the centre will also be interrogated.

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Women and child rehabilitation in Delhi

CASE STUDIES:
1. Muktangan rehabilitation center, Pune
2. Navjyoti india foundation, Rohini sector-22
3. Booney county juvenile, Missouri
4. Beit-Halochem Rehabilitation Center , Beersheba, Israel

Navjyoti india foundation, Rohini sector-22 (Live Case Study)

Navjyoti India Foundation is situated in Rohini Sector-22, New Delhi and is a non-profit coomunity,
registered on January 5, 1988 by then 16 serving police officers of Delhi Police and conceived by Dr.
Kiran Bedi, first women IPS with aim of providing rehabilitation. The aim of Navjyoti India Foundation
is prevention of crime through welfare policing, education of street children, vocational skills for women
drug peddlers and detox programs were its initiating projects. They have mission to assemble and
harness the power of children, youth, women and people at large to approach illiteracy,
ignorance, gender discrimination and the evil of drug addiction with an ultimate aim of crime
prevention and inclusive socio-economic development. The establishment has extended and has
embraced different ventures too under its wings. It gives professional preparing to ladies from
monetarily weaker segments and gives Family Counseling administrations to inhabitants of a
resettlement settlement in Delhi as likewise in the provincial edges of the city. Attempting to
address the main driver of all agonies in the urban ghettos — absence of education, Navjyoti
India Foundation also runs a Street Children Project in one of the biggest ghettos of Delhi since
1986. The establishment gives educating till Class five and professional preparing to the kids. ‘

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To grow its achieve, the establishment likewise gives non formal training to the working
youngsters. Indeed, the establishment offers a composite bundle for the improvement of the
group in the ghettos, which likewise incorporates medicinal services administrations and crèches
for youngsters.

Questionnaires asked to the regulating bodies:

 How many inhabitants are there?

 Are they getting required aid and environment?
 What do they think is missing in the center?
 Do they think any other correctional homes as an example?
 Which one and why?
 Are there any NGO’s working for this foundation?
 Are they fulfilling their promises, if yes?
 Are the released criminals accepted by the society? If not then do these NGO’s or any other
regulating bodies have any backup plans for them?

Questionnaires asked to the inmates?

 What do they do all day?

 Do they get enough aid?
 What do they think about the environment?
 How’s the hygiene there?
 What do they miss there the most?
 Do they miss their family?
 What are the causes that bought them here?
 When they go back, will their families accept them?
 Will they work after getting out from there?
 How they want to be treated once they get out of there?
 What changes do they think can be brought to the center?

Beit-Halochem Rehabilitation Center , Beersheba, Israel

This case study was choosen so as to study the design parameters and connection in between the spaces
linked.

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On the outskirts of Beer Sheva, where the city ends and the desert begins, the new "Beit-Halochem"
rehabilitation center is built. Desert sun and arid scenery served us as a source of inspiration to design a
composition of rock-like volumes that are grouped together.

Images showing the architecture and spaces linkages

The "rocks" accommodate intimate and quiet functions, whereas the negative space between them creates
gathering areas, and defines the circulation in the building. The alignment of these rocks, combined with
the thin horizontal roof which hovers between them, creates an inviting and protected courtyard. .s .The
fierce desert sun-light, which bounces off minor dents on the surface of the rock, creates an ever-changing
appearance for the new IDF veterans' home.

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PLAN OF THE REHAB CENTER

RELEVANCE OF THIS CASE STUDY WITH TOPIC:

After the live study all I could calculate was that there is a great need of good correctional homes in India.
According to Indian jail stats, there are total 1401 jails including all types of special jails, juvenile jails,
central jails, etc. Among these 1401, there are only 18 women jail and the girls are kept in these jails
itself. Thus after calculating everything, I made a conclusion that there is a great need of correctional
homes for the female criminals. Talking about NCR, there are 23 jails among which 6 are for women and
girls, also among these only 2 are working.
Therefore, keeping everything in mind I concluded that there is a great need to develop a correctional
home in Delhi itself. The live case study gave me certain parameters that needs to be fulfilled. Ex: there is
great need of mass participation among the inmates. Hygiene being the major issue was not taken care of.
There were lack of communication between inmates and nature etc. Thus keeping everything in mind I
chose this literature study. It includes spaces connecting to nature, various centers for yoga, sports etc.

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REHABILITATIVE ENVIRONMENTS:
It has been noted that various environments can have positive behavioral effects. These environments are
opposed to the typical architecture found in incarcerative facilities. They include soft architecture; private
spaces; spaces that encourage social interaction and freedom of movement. While prison architecture can
be described as hard architecture, allowing little privacy, promoting isolation and high security for the
prevention of escapes. This prompted the challenging of two conflicting architectures.

HARD ARCHITECTURE VERSUS SOFT ARCHITECTURE:

The scale and impermeable nature of hard architecture is oppressive to the human spirit and yet has been
found in various expressions of prison architecture today. The formality and rigidity of prison architecture
is typically designed to be hostile, intending to ‘shock more than serve’. The large fortress type prisons of
the early 19th century were designed to show the might of the state in a traditional style, emphasizing
continuity alongside the modernity that replaced the makeshift structures of earlier times. The aggressive
influence and heaviness of the building was made evident to demonstrate the power of the state over
malefactors, built to ‘crush’ and ‘suppress’ crime.
New prisons like their predecessors are designed for efficiency, economy, consistency, security and
control. They dictate uniformity in design and provision. The building materials are hard-wearing,
requiring low maintenance to avoid costs of repair due to damage and vandalism. Although, argues that
hard architecture encourages vandalism by the presence of ‘vandal proof’ fixtures that challenge the user
to ‘break me if you can’ communicating an expectation of destructive behaviour. Vandalism can in turn
suggest disorder, indicating that the authorities are not in control and the offender may feel the need to
defend themselves. Moreover, prison layouts with hard steel and concrete surfaces and a superior attitude
from staff, provide the message that staff and offenders are in a state of opposition. If physical barriers are
needed to separate offenders from each other and from staff, then ‘this must be a ‘dangerous place’.
Barriers are provided against escape and the loss of internal control. This is attained through surveillance;
which emphasizes the provision of clear lines of sight and constraint; shown by secure the
compartmentalization of various sectors of the prison.

PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE:

Offenders held in maximum security prisons have little autonomy and privacy. Bars instead of doors to
cells, allow passers-by to gaze into offenders’ cells. Critics have likened these to cages, claiming that
offenders’ are ‘displayed and managed like animals in a zoo’ . Prisons do not treat offenders with dignity
- eating, sleeping, and even defecating is no longer a private affair. Showering is generally accommodated
for in communal areas with open stalls that are closely monitored by correctional officers. Frequent
‘shakedowns’ or random searches, of cell-blocks and offenders are done with the objective of reducing
the risk of contraband. This can lead to potential humiliation for offenders.
Some progressive prisons have been designed to restore basic human dignity through the elimination of
grills, instead the offenders are provided rooms that accommodate for a hatch that can be slid by the guard
if need be, however for the most part, offenders are able to maintain their privacy (Sanyal, 2014) and the
blurred lines between public and private are, to an extent, re-established. Providing offenders with private
spaces will allow them some control over contact resources and exposure to stressors which in turn could
help to eliminate situations that may lead to fights and arguments. Control over their own environment

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reduces stress and irritability as well as increases tolerance for frustration. Varying levels of public and
private areas need to be provided allowing offenders the opportunity to remove themselves from
irritations or conflict.

ISOLATION VERSUS SOCIAL INTERACTION:

Isolation in prison is commonplace. Offenders spend most of their time locked in their cells. The
conventional prison cell is tall, long and narrow. Claustrophobic with little ventilation and natural light
the typical prison cell is not depicted as a positive environment and is said to induce negative behavioural
effects on offenders.
Long hours spent in solitary confinement or in congested prisons can cause extreme psychological
problems long hours spent in solitary confinement or in congested prisons can cause extreme
psychological problems.The offender is socially isolated from others, human interaction is reduced to
limited transactions with staff and in some cases: infrequent contact with family and friends. The offender
is almost entirely dependent on the wardens for the provision of basic needs. Their movements are tightly
controlled in a restrictive space and closely observed. The small cell in which they are held has little or no
view of the outside, with limited access to fresh air and natural light. The space provides ‘little
stimulation’ with virtually nothing to occupy the inhabitant with.
It is therefore maintained that solitary confinement may cause more harm than good and this technique of
punishment is not entirely beneficial to the desired outcome of rehabilitation. In contrast to the isolation
of offenders, recent trendsetters in prison design have implemented the concept of community living to
promote social interaction. In correlation with the need to belong new prisons have moved away from the
customary institutional scheme and towards ‘cottage-style’ living arrangements. This contemporary
arrangement has been employed at facilities such as the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre. The new
prison encourages community living in cottages generally with four to six offenders per cottage where
they share social responsibilities designed to provide facilities and routines that ‘replicate’ (as close as
possible) ‘family and community’ duties. This method has been shown to be effective in aiding women to
be better equipped to cope with daily activities and responsibilities after release as well as allowing them
to fulfil their need to form ‘family’ bonds and support networks during their sentence.
Social interaction is an important element in the re-entry process of any institutionalized population.
There are few community based institutions that provide specialized residential and vocational services.
The majority of offenders will one day return to civilian life and therefore it is important to work towards
a successful re-entry and release during the incarceration period. Prisons should help offenders to see
themselves in productive and meaningful roles outside of prison while they are on the inside. In order to
accomplish this they need to be designed to invite and facilitate the involvement of family and community
throughout the period of incarceration and re-entry. Studies show that offenders believe: community
support is an important factor in helping to avoid recidivism after release. Women are also more content
in smaller groups and more intimate spaces therefore large areas should be subdivided. Smaller housing
units are also more effective as larger housing units are more difficult to manage.
A women’s correctional facility should incorporate the needs of small children into the facility including
community spaces and play areas as maintaining family and community ties is important in helping to
break the cycle of re-offending. The building should foster an open environment inside a secure perimeter
with the building layouts designed to encourage small group activities. Education, domesticity and daily
chores in normalized settings allow for social interaction and create a better community environment.

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LITERATURE REVIEW:
The case studies were carried out in three separate jails in which two are in Delhi itself and one is a
literature study of Boone county, Missouri. The Delhi prisons are the most highlighted prisons of the
state. These jails are for female offenders. In one out of the total 35 Prisoners around 20 (57.1%)
prisoners are under trial. Those who are under trial most of them are in jail since 3 years. Our interaction
with those prisoners reveals that most of them are not in a position to get a lawyer because of financial
crises. Their economic condition has forced them to be in jail rather fighting for the justice. They have no
other option but to depend on government lawyers for their justice. Though some of them feels that they
are innocent they have no other way to proof themselves as innocent. Even our interaction with jail
administration reveals that due to administrative procedures the process is taking long time.
Understanding the socio-economic back grounds like caste, class, land holding size, occupation, income
and demographic details, of a prisoner will help in understanding the reasons of a crime. The analysis
over caste and religion of sample prisoners reveals that around 94.3% prisoners belong to the Hindu
religion. The respondents belonging to Muslim community is about 5.7 percent. The highest number of
female offenders belongs to other backward class that is 57.1%. Around 31.4% respondents belong to
general caste. As per the literature I reviewed nature of crime varies from caste to caste and class to class.
Basically the minority people are involved in crime due to economic insecurity. The lower class are
always marginalized from the society. The low economic condition has compelled them to commit crime.
The sample I interviewed revealed that the cause of their imprisonment is dowry incident. The practice of
dowry has become a status symbol especially for the upper castes, agricultural castes and the dominant
castes. The rapid social changes in terms of industrialization, urbanization, new avenues of education,
new employment opportunities, higher standard of living have increased the incidence and the dimension
and magnitude of dowry. As the case of dowry is more confined to higher class and higher castes, it is
found that women belonging to other backward classes and general castes are imprisoned.
Crime has no age limit. It does not confine to any particular age. In the present study, it reveals that the
women who belong to the age group of 15 years and above are more exposed to crime than the age group
of 35 years. The data revealed that the young women and girls are more involved in crime like theft and
murder of their own enemy. Whereas the old and middle aged women are more involved in dowry death.
Though the literature review shows that majority of women have committed crimes in their young age but
present study reflects that most women criminals belong to the middle or old aged group. This difference
may be due to the nature of crime.
Women reflect the virtue of morality and non-violence. From the literature review it can be stated that,
when women face personal crisis in their life and get abused they step into committing crime. They may
be forced by their husband and family or sometime it’s their societal conditions which drag them into
crime.
The economic conditions of the female prisoners are one of the important factors which play a crucial
role. Literature review reflects that sometimes the lower economic condition of women forced them to
commit crime. Due to low economic condition sometimes they get sexually abused. The data collected
from the field reveals that around 51% prisoners are from lower economic conditions. Their annual
income is less than Rupees 5,000/-. Occupation plays an important role in human life. The data collected
reflects that around 54.3 percent of prisoners are unemployed and 20 percent are daily wage employed.
The present study reflects that the majority of the prisoners are from joint family (71.4%). The discussion
with these prisoners reveals that the conflicts over property sharing, economic crises, and dowry cases are
the basic reason for committing crime and their imprisonment.

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Jail life and imprisonment has serious impact on the prisoners, especially for women. From the literature
it reflects that the jail imprisonment makes life pathetic for women. It has affected their entire life and
destroys their future course of life. Imprisonment has created mental disturbance and health problem
among the women prisoners. Women are more prone to diseases. Whether the imprisonment period is
longer or shorter it creates problem of depression among the 18

prisoners. When a women put in to jail, the entire society look her in to a different way. She is segregated
or alienated from the community as well as from the daily social life. Higher the imprisonment period
higher is the risk for the women offenders, because they are away from their family, children and all. It’s
really hard on them to bear this physical and mental problem. My interaction with the sample prisoners
reveals that all most all the prisoners are having adverse life style. Women in the contemporary prison
face many problems. Imprisonment period is the biggest challenge for the women prisoners.

According to one of the convicted female offenders in ROHINI PRISON COMPLEX,expresses her
realization of her crime. In her words “I am mother and it is not possible for a mother to kill her own son,
I was under the influence of black magic and mental imbalance so killed my son unknowingly. But hard
to believe neither my husband nor any of my family members want her back in to the home. It’s better to
live in jail for the rest of my life.”
Most of the women prisoners said that they are missing their family in each and every second. They lost
their social status, cut off from their family relation and their personal liberty has taken away. All these
has created psychological and physical problem for them.
Majority of women prisoners are not addicted to drugs and there is a strict prohibition on using drugs and
alcohol inside the prison. There are some prisoners who are used to take alcohol and drugs before coming
in to jail but due to strict prohibition they have to abstain from it for which they are facing lots of health
problems. When it comes to women prisoner then the most important thing that comes into focal point is
the health facility inside the prison. Most of the literature review reflects that the health facility for female
offenders in jail is of poor quality. They don’t access to the regular health check up. It has been seen
during field work that women are more prone to health crisis then man. Few prisoners found suffering
from some serious acute diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes and high blood pressure. The most difficult
part is to access proper health services in privacy. The women prisoners are always guided by the prison
staff for their heath check up.
Women are always more risk of having mental problem. The detachment from family, social life and to
live incarcerated life always gives rise to mental problem. Even the literature review shows jail life
creates a major mental distress and health disorder among the women prisoners.
According to the women prisoners interviewed it is very difficult for their children to stay without
mother. They are become the victim and sufferer of their crime. Some of the women prisoners are sole
bread earner of their family. Their absence in home has compelled their children to go to work for their
survival. Women prisoners said that it’s hard to leave their children in other’s home. Sometime they get
tortured and became mentally stressed.
It becomes very difficult for mother to stay away from their children. The jail authority doesn’t give much
space and time to the prisoners to meet with their children. The hard and stringent rules of the jail allowed
the women prisoners to meet the children from inside the bar. It was observed that there are 2 children
who are staying with their mother. Except food there is no other special facilities has provided by the jail
authority for the betterment of the children. They are not allowed to play even the ground inside the jail.
They are only confined to the area where women prisoners are staying. The children born with innocence
are suffering due to their mother’s fault. They are deprived from their right to live. The prison has no
education facility for the children who are staying inside the jail with their mother. The prison authority

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allows the children to stay with their mother till they reach at the age of five. Thereafter, the child has to
go out. Either he/she has to sent their home or to the orphan houses/schools. There is no special provision
for the mother to meet their children. It is possible only after taking special permission from the jail
authority. The majority of the women prisoners are not satisfied with the facility that has been provided
by the jail authority.
The literature review shows that the prison is always an unattractive place. Especially the unsatisfactory
living condition, manpower shortages, overcrowded and unhygienic practises makes it more unattractive.
My interaction with women prisoners reveal that though they are receiving some minimum requirement,
it is not sufficient and regular. The prisoners used to take care of their own surroundings. There is no
sweeper appointment to clean the prison where women are staying. It was observed during the field work
that as most of the women prisoners are old they are not in a position to make the prison clean. Even they
claimed that they are not receiving proper hygienic equipments to make their area clean. During the
interaction around 77% prisoners claimed that the hygienic condition of the jails are very poor, where as
only 23% said that it is average . From the beginning society has made a wide distinction between male
and female. The society accept a male prisoners more easily then the women prisoners. So being a
criminal spoil the entire life of women, neither her family nor the society accepts them so easily. Some of
the respondents viewed that the administration authority is just only to stand and act according to the
prescribed rules and regulation. It is neither interested bring any reformation for the women prisoners.
Some of the respondent said that after release from the correctional homes they won’t go back to their
village or to their home because nobody is going to accept them, so they will go some new place in order
to start a new life. The authority should be lenient enough to the prisoners while they are meeting with
their family members and lawyer. The strict time limit and seeing the members behind the bar is painful
for the women prisoners. Also the female criminals should be provided jobs for their survival so that they
can be easily accepted back by the society. There are several NGO’s involved in running these homes.
They have been since few years have been providing sufficient education programs, yoga programs,
spiritual programs, etc.
After the case studies it was concluded that the respondent has felt that the society won’t accept them
after releasing from the correctional homes or prisons. The prisoners felt the guilty of their crime. The
rigid custom and typical attitude towards the women has precipitated the women to commit crime in the
society. Most of them feel that they have lost their status in the society. All the respondents have viewed
that the jail or prison should not be a punishment place. Rather it should be positive reformatories place.
Meeting with the relatives should be more frequent and should allow some special arrangement to meet
their relatives and lawyer. Women prisoners expressed they need a lot of support and encouragement
from their families. So family oriented counselling should be organized by the jail administration to cope
of them during the imprisonment period. While few feel that they deserve the punishment, others want to
start life again.

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PENAL TYPOLOGIES AND PRECEDENTS:

RECTANGLE:
The rectangular scheme became known as the “Auburn” or “silent” scheme by
limiting inmate contact as much as possible. The cellblocks are stacked
vertically and arranged back to back with no direct windows to the exterior; the
cells are accessed through long, adjacent balconies that overlook a corridor
parallel to an exterior wall.

RADIAL:
Designed around a central rotunda, this prison plan consists of “spokes” or
wings of cellblocks; additional prison programs can be within the different
wings or as separate structures located in between wings or adjacent to the
entire complex. This scheme may include a perimeter to allow for free
movement from one building to another.

TELEPHONE POLE:
A plan developed by the circulation of security, which includes a building with
a central spine, a long central corridor or “pole,” crossed at regular intervals by
structures containing inmates’ functional areas; this fosters continuous
surveillance as well as independently controlled access to each functional area.
Similarly to the radial scheme, this plan may include a perimeter to allow for
free movement by inmates.

COURTYARD:
With the intention of creating an optimal 360-degree view of inmates and
allowing for the free movement of prisoners, this plan contains the inmates
within an exterior courtyard by designing the functional units as all sides of the
perimeter. The courtyard becomes a central circulation space as well as an
additional functional space.

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URBAN:
A scheme where the correctional facility becomes a solid mas within the varying
open and closed spaces of the urban fabric, mimicking its intention of the
containment of prisoners in order to protect the general public. Despite its
containment, an urban site creates more visiting opportunities for inmates.

CAMPUS:
A design by which the functional units are individually housed and organized
according to any desired circulation. The scheme includes a perimeter to allow
for the movement from one building to another without a risk of escape.

HYBRID / URBAN + COURTYARD:

The hybrid combines the containment aspect of an urban prison with the plan
of a courtyard scheme. Differently, the courtyard is not used as a circulation
space; the circulation solely exists at the vertical cores each pertaining to one
side of the program-embedded perimeter. The courtyard acts as a functional
space, with 360-degree security.

HYBRID / URBAN + CAMPUS

The interjection of a self-contained microcosm within a larger, expanding city;
the insertion of a campus plan within an existing urban fabric. While the two
coexist, they each function separately according to their definitions; only are
they together as places to travel to with intentions.

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ANALYSIS:
‘We shape buildings, thereafter they shape us’- Winston Churchill. A prison has always been conceived as a
dark, dreadful and secretive facility by the outside world. All of the practices that are being carried out
within the prison premises are unknown by many. Reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners and the effect
of the prison environment on their psychology while they are at the prison and after they are released has
always been a major concern
.The design’s vertical aspiration – self realization ascending towards TRANSFORMATION — signifies
aspects of learning.
It is juxtaposed with its horizontal expression – REINTEGRATION – that seeks to connect with the larger
community in the prison complex and the outside world.
By creating community clusters, one fosters a domestic scale of living, creating a place where human
relationships based on sisterhood may potentially form, and where dignity is lent to the individual.
The wall functions in binary opposition to this so that the promise of community life is met by the requisite
restraints of security. Ways of alleviating the impression of this sense of enclosure are sought through
integration with the landscape and the sky. By imparting meaning to the wall as an interface, transitions
from barrier intense to barrier free zones are enabled. After analysing the case studies and the site Delhi
following design considerations might be drawn:

Open Communal Areas: Increasing the size or number of community spaces will make the
facility feel more open and encourage juveniles to leave their rooms and interact with peers and
counselors.

Flexible Furnishings: Modular chairs, tables, and sofas in communal rooms invite flexibility of
use. Chairs can be pushed to the center of the room for group discussions or arranged in clusters
to allow for one-on-one or smaller group counseling.

Day-lighting: Floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights allow natural light into spaces to promote
a calming, less confined atmosphere.

Central Control Stations: Supervisor stations placed at ground level and at the center of day
rooms and cafeterias allow inmates to feel more comfortable talking to staff. Counselors and
supervisors can still keep a close eye on inmates while also helping to promote more casual,
positive, face-to-face interactions.

Outdoor Spaces: Designing secure outdoor gardens, greenhouses, athletic fields or courts, and
eating areas can improve attitudes. When juveniles spend time outside, especially in green, non-
threatening spaces, they feel less trapped. Moreover, these spaces can be designed around sports,
outdoor horticulture, and other programs that teach juveniles important skills they can use after
they’re released.

Durable, Familiar Materials: Hard furnishings, such as tables, should be made from scratch-
resistant materials to prevent defacing and vandalism. However, they should also be familiar to
juveniles and not appear “institutional.” For example, acrylic tables are durable without looking
cold or dreary.

Peaceful Features: Facility interiors should promote a sense of calm. Choose soft LED lighting
rather than harsh fluorescents and include positive, inspirational artwork that ideally reflects local
or regional character. At Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, inmates were enlisted to paint
murals, making the space more personal and dynamic.

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Calming Acoustics: A juvenile correctional facility can get noisy. By including sound-absorbing
materials on the walls, you can prevent noise from traveling and from hindering communication.
When inmates and staff can hear instructions clearly, they are less likely to need further
instructions or become frustrated.

Convenience: The design team for Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center also created a
courtroom inside the facility to allow inmates to appear before judges on-site. Consultation rooms
were designed, too, so that juveniles and their lawyers can discuss their cases and update court
officials on their progress. Not only does this benefit juveniles in the facility, but also it saves
taxpayer money and correctional facility resources.

Personalized Details: You can empower juveniles to make spaces their own by allowing them to
re-arrange furniture and even choose their own bedding color. When young inmates are presented
with options, they are less likely to vandalize their rooms and may feel more comfortable living in
the facility.
These design details not only encourage rehabilitation, but also, when integrated with existing security
standards, they help ensure that staff and inmates feel safe in the space.

CONTRIBUTION:
As a student designer I think it's my social responsibility to handle this issue as a result of i feel in spite of
assorted Govt. and N.G.O activities the condition prevailing within the most punitive homes are sub-
human.
Architecture alone cannot solve a grave social element like this. And areas are perpetually joined to the
activities related to it.however design should have a job to play during this drawback if it the least
bit aims at the betterment of the society. Society isn't all regarding building sky scrapers,
market complicated and Convention centers whereas our kids and women are confined like animals.
The house designing, orientation , color, texture, space sizes and landscapes transcend than
simply being stunning.

I'm wanting forward in providing valuable suggestions concerning the project, materials for study or
links, case studies,pictures, reports or in the other approach I will.
I agree design alone cannot solve psychological issues, however it will produce and will them.
The problem with street youth is that the imperative would like for survival becomes lost with the
asocial perspective that they need a right to prey upon others as a result of others prey upon them.
Once their former asocial urban habits begin to fade from memory. Then new habits will be learnt and
dealing with their hands is that the fastest thanks to show that they need price as a result of they'll see that
the work they are doing has price.

In different words, the primary step is to get rid of the person physically out of the setting that caused the
issues. within the case of such urban-based street youth, I would advocate a rural-based farm that might in
all probability turn out its own food and act as a coaching centre for varied trades and crafts likewise as, if
necessary, basic schooling.

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CONCLUSION:
As the desire for greater incarceration becomes increasingly apparent, our nation’s correctional facilities
are being used at unacceptable levels with conditions of overcrowding becoming unbearable. This
dissertation directs its concern to where crime begins and majorly to develop a quality architecture that
not only improves the personal growth of the females but also improves their psychological heath.
My dissertation aims on the psychological impact of space in human mind. I want to improve the living
conditions of the inmates not only by improving the quality of space; I'm also interested to find out to
what extent the quality of space can minimize their criminal instincts and support the rehabilitation
programs. Architecture alone cannot solve a grave social component like this. And spaces are always
linked to the activities associated with it. But architecture must have a role to play in this problem if it at
all aims at the betterment of the society.
The paper provides valuable suggestions regarding the project, materials for study or links, case studies,
photographs, reports. The paper would advocate a rural-based farm which could probably produce its own
food and act as a training center for various trades and crafts as well as, if necessary, basic schooling. This
dissertations aims at:
 To reduce psychological pressure in juveniles.
 The goal is to teach, care and discipline children and adolescences by providing them with a safe
space for them to make constructive changes in their lives with the help of basic needs, security,
education, etc.

Other than this it objects at:

1) To create a functional design by:

i. Providing proper circulation and interactive spaces.
ii. Using imaginative design ideas to implement with the landscape.
2) To use psychological architecture by:
i. The use of colour and lighting
ii. Creating open interior spaces to interact with outdoor spaces
3) Provide fitness centers to encourage physical health.
4) Proper rehabs and detention centers.

The study concludes that the prison system as it currently exists must undergo a fundamental
philosophical and physical change in order to actually meet the goals of reducing crime and improving
community health for which it was intended. To that end, the dissertation suggests a vision of an
incarceration facility for a single community in North Memphis that uses architecture as a vehicle to
instrumentalize the key emotion that defines imprisonment -- how to escape from it -- in order to
reconcile offenders back to the communities they have offended.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. Sutherland, op.cit., Thaft & England, Criminology(1964); Don C. Gibbons, Society, Crime
and Criminal Careers(1973).
2. Bridges Banham.,journal of criminal law and criminology(2017)
3. Barbara A. ThompsonSociology/Anthropology Honors ThesisOberlin CollegeMay 1, 1980
4. Bajpai, A. (2017). Child Rights in India.
5. Dey, A., & Orton, B. (2016). Gender and Caste Intersectionality in India: An Analysis of the
Nirbhaya Case, 16 December 2012. In Advances in Gender Research (pp. 87–105).
6. Gulati, Monish. 2013. “Nirbhaya -- One Year On-Public Safety Issues in India.” SSRN
Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2373514.
7. Indian Penal Code by B.M.Gandhi Eastern Book Company, 2006.
8. Day, Joe. Corrections & Collections: Architectures for Art and Crime. New York: Routledge,
2013.

Other references books and articles:

1. Women prisoners in Odisha, a socio- cultural study
2. Prison stats in India, 2015
3. Good practice in women prisons, a literature review
4. Built environment for rehabilitation, case studies
5. Problems and prospects of rehabilitation in India
6. Study of juvenile justice systems in India before and after Nirbhaya case
7. Life in India’s correctional homes, the New York times

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APPENDIX

Questionnaire
PART: I Prisoners Basic Information
1. Name, caste, religion place belonging to?
2. How many members were there in your family?
3. Was there any other working person in your family?
1. Yes 2. No
4. Land holding particulars
1. Land less 2. Land owner 3. Share cropper
PART: II
About The Offence
1. In what case you are imprisoned?
1. Theft 2. Murder 3. Drug related

4. Assault 5. Rape 6. Others

2. Since how many years you have imprisoned?
1. 5 yrs
2 .5 yrs to 10 yrs
3. Above
3. What makes you to do this crime?
4. Have you fought for the justice? 1. Yes 2. No
a. If no, mention the reason
b. If yes, do you feel you have got the justice? 1. Yes 2. No
5. If no, mention the reason
6. If yes, do you feel you have got the justice? 1. Yes 2. No
7. If you feel that you have not received the justice, mention the reason.
8. Do you find your imprisonment has some adverse effect? 1. Yes 2. No
9. If, yes then please explain?

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PART- III
Drugs and Alcohol consumption of the prisoners.
1. Have you ever been addicted to alcohol?
2. If yes, when before coming to the prison or after coming to the prison?
3. Have you ever been addicted to drugs?
4. If yes, what are/were those drugs?
5. If yes, are they providing any treatment?
6. Are you getting benefited from it?
7.What kind of facility they are providing for the drug rehabilitation please mention?

PART- IV
Physical and mental Health

1. Is Health care provided for you, inside the prison?

2. Are you able to consult a doctor or other healthcare worker in privacy?
3. Please tell us a bit about mental health, have you been diagnosed with any mental illness (includes
depression).
4. Do you take any medication for mental illness?
5. Is your mental illness having something to do with your offence?
6. Do you suffer from any physical illness or disabilities?
7.If, Yes do you get any special treatment for these?
8.Do you get good medical attention in prison?
9.While you have been in prison, has anybody physically or sexually assaulted you?
10. If yes. The person who has physically/sexually tortured is the staff or prisoner? The person who has
physically/sexually tortured is the staff or prisoner?

PART- V
Women prisoner and Children
1. Do you have children?
2. If yes please mention his/her sex and age?
3. Where are your children staying?
4. Do they provide facility to mother and children to stay together?
If the children are not staying with the prisoners, then how often children are allowed to visit their
mother in prison?
5. Are there any special arrangements children’s visit?
6. If the children staying with mother in jail, getting education facility?
7. If, yes then where are they going for education?
8. Do the small children getting facility to play outside?
9. Are you happy with the facility provided to your children at jail?
10. Are you getting the basic requirements from the jail?
11. How you will rate the hygiene facility of jail?
12. Are you getting sanitary napkins and medicine?

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PART- VI
Employment/ Education

1. Are they are providing any educational facilities for women prisoners ?
2. The educational facilities is based on what basis - Educational or Vocational .
3. Do they provide any kind of recreation facility in jail?
4. What you will do after releasing from the jail?
5. Do you feel society will accept you after you will be out from the jail?
6. Where you will go after sentence get over?
7. What facility do you need according to your concern?

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