Post on 28-Jan-2023
The Green Prison Project
Brian Steels, Dot Goulding, Mike Burbridge
And CUSP / ASDI team
sustainability.curtin.edu.au
The Green Prison ProjectCreating Socially Just and Environmentally Sustainable Custodial Precincts; where the precinct is the community and the community engages with the precinct.
Restorative Justice Processes
• Improve and repair relationships among peers, staff, family and community, especially those harmed by crime and conflict
• Caring for country
Environmentally Sustainable ‘Green Prison’
• Reducing carbon footprint• Creating biophilic designs to reduce stress
• Enhancing quality of life• Producing a universal template and Quality Assurance Mark
Culturally Appropriate
• Places and spaces to acknowledge country
• Celebrate diversity• Enhancing quality of life
Make tomorrow better.
SUSTAINABILITY ANDSOCIAL JUSTICE
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From a small seed, big things grow • 2000 with RJ court research • 2004 Developed basic model of RJ prison • 2008 Embedded idea of wholly restoraNve
• 2008 Concept of ‘InternaNonal template’ • 2008 Partnered ideas in Acacia Prison • 2012 Added ‘sustainability’ through ASDI • 2013 Added biophilic & stress reducNon ideas
• Green Prison concept developed 2014
Green Prison Project
• Designing an InternaNonal ‘Template’ cognizant of cultural and regional differences to inform an InternaNonal Quality Assurance Mark for regional jurisdicNons.
• Uses RestoraNve JusNce soluNons and values
• Develops TherapeuNc environment • Ensures Environmental sustainability as
core business • Creates opportuniNes for ‘desistance’
from crime • Encourages all people harmed by crime
and conflict to get involved. • PracNces noNon of RedempNon through
conservaNon and the common good
Turning the penal estate away from being a University of crime towards a place of higher learning
• Residents are encouraged to be researchers, trainers, students, pracNNoners, facilitators
• Staff are encouraged to support residents as well as have the opportunity to engage in professional development to assist the Green Prison Project
• Theories of desistance, sustainability and restoraNve soluNons provided across the estate.
Green, RestoraNve & TherapeuNc • Uses RestoraNve JusNce soluNons and pracNces within a TherapeuNc environment to build up responsible and posiNve ciNzenship.
• Creates harmony and produces quality relaNonships.
• Reduces conflict among residents, staff and visitors.
• Encourages ‘Guest Lectures’ within the estate
Green & Environmental • Uses environmental sustainability as core business.
• Aims for a reducNon in carbon; • Greening to create harmony and reduce stress
• Developing food security • CreaNng an awareness of conservaNon through species protecNon, water and energy reducNon and other learning and research opportuniNes.
Green, PosiNve Values • Aims to create and maintain a ‘desistance’ model across the estate
• Supports personal transformaNon for all
• Encourages all people harmed by crime and conflict to get involved
• Encourages and values good works, reparaNve acNons, posiNve plans, responsible lifestyles and empowering processes
• Creates opportuniNes for the community to parNcipate in project
Green, Interconnected & Safe • All aspects are interconnected to families and communiNes.
• Wherever possible the prison becomes the community and the community becomes part of the prison.
• Senior Management at each site assesses, guides and manages all risks associated with the Green Prison Project.
• Project supported by mulN disciplinary team and community reference group
CreaNng a space for reducing harm
• To the self • To family
• To others • To community
• To other species • To the environment
• For the common good
Why ‘Green’ • Needs a new approach to prisons for the 21st Century that works to reduce crime and harm
• Current regime unsustainable in terms of social and economic costs.
• Number of people connected to the criminal jusNce system is growing and they in turn need to see posiNve changes.
The number of people interconnected to Prisons (WA) • Residents of penal estate – 5000+ • Number on community orders 5000+ • Connected family and friends 30,000+
• ConnecNons to employees in Police, Prisons, Courts, Parole and RehabilitaNon 15,000+
• Similar mulNple numbers of people can be found in most jurisdicNons; ie for each person in the ‘system’ we note at least six other people connected
Project Partnerships
• Residents and staff • Mix of private and public prisons
• NGOs working towards rehabilitaNon • Families
• Community Groups
• Professional networks • Across campus and disciplines