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.

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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    

Funding  a  Green  Prison  Project  

•  Need  to  have  the  funds  to  conNnue  the  research  project  

•  Not  generally  an  area  of  great  interest  unless  people  are  connected  in  some  way  

•  Need  support  from  all  sides  of  poliNcs