Should Architects Refrain From Designing Prisons for Long-term Solitary Confinement? – An Open Letter to the Architecture Profession

Abstract

In a profile in the November, 2012 issue of the magazine Architect, activist-architect Raphael Sperry, a founder of the group Architects Planners & Designers for Social Responsibility (APDSR) discussed his petition to amend the AIA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to include a prohibition on “the design of (prison) spaces intended for long-term solitary isolation and execution.â€1 This issue is both serious and timely. It deserves contemplative attention before any action is taken. The purpose of this letter is to provide the the architecture profession a condensed analysis of the possible justification for taking the action Mr. Sperry advocates. After review and consideration, we are persuaded that Mr. Sperry’s proposal does merit action by the AIA.