Thoughtful design of visitation spaces for incarcerated mothers and grandmothers

• In Event: Adjudication: pleas, courts and sentencing

Abstract

This project – called THRIVE (Louisiana Therapeutic, Restorative, and Inspired Visitation Enhancement) seeks to 1) plan, build, and design family-friendly visitation spaces for Louisiana women with minor children at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW), led by a researcher-practitioner partnership with the University of Louisiana Department of Criminal Justice and School of Architecture and Design. These efforts will include indoor and outdoor elements, with consideration of play activities to enrich visitation. In addition, LCIW will 2) expand its evidence-based parenting classes and 3) expand the use of tele-visitation. The purpose of this presentation is to present the findings of a survey of stakeholders (including facility staff) to better understand the limitations and barriers posed by the available visitation space, discuss major themes derived from focus groups of incarcerated mothers and grandmothers, and the subsequent design phase of the visitation spaces at a newly built facility in South Louisiana. This prison facility is one of the largest prisons for women in the United States.

Authors

• David khey, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

• Kiwana McClung, University of Louisiana at Lafayette