27
The prison model produced appears quite liberal.
Rather than an array of solid walls it provides
the reverse – transparency and a wonderful
permeability, completely unexpected in prisons.
Our brief by Corrective Services was for a very
different model that addressed the specific needs
of the Aboriginal community. It needed a layer of
maximum-security and to separate men and women.
This required a master plan that imagined a small
town, or a type of campus and that led to a whole
different mindset about what a prison might be.
Right from the outset we knew that there would be a
large number of buildings and quite a large campus.
There are three critical stages to the project, each
with particular challenges: the difficulty of design,
the documentation and difficulty of the build.
What was the single biggest test for yourselves
and TAG?
There were two really difficult tests: One is
simply integrating the complex layers of building
management and security systems, fibre-optics and
so on… and the management of all of those different
disciplines on top of the architecture. The other
huge challenge is the remoteness of the Kimberley
region and heat. The facility has a 1.6 km perimeter
security zone, a sewage treatment and back-up
generators. Building those 44 structures is really like
building a small town from scratch.
Prison Break
It’s clearly a very enlightened design. What
triggered the move away from the traditional prison?
It’s a very different approach to justice that came out
of the history of how Aboriginal people have been
detained and locked up. The Royal Commission into
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody resulted in pressure
from the Aboriginal community and the Office of
Inspector of Custodial Services to provide a better
system for Aboriginal prisoners. There was a growing
demand for a better justice outcome for Aboriginal
people from the Kimberley region.
What does your design provide for beyond the
old-style lock-up cell/exercise yard?
One needs to be aware that when anyone commits
a crime and are found guilty and jailed, your
punishment is to be removed from society. Your
punishment isn’t to be tormented. There is a lot
of evidence to show the more brutal the prison
experience the more likely people will re-offend.
Prisoners should be doing worthwhile things
and reflecting on mis-deeds and to come out
better people. As an architect you can provide an
environment for rehabilitation rather than one that
actually harms people in a physical and emotional
sense. The delivery of rehabilitation to Aboriginal
people in Australia has not been good. The notion
of self-care is very important and another of TAG’s
prisons at Bunbury uses a similar model. Some
Aboriginal people in the Kimberley were effectively
deported all the way to Perth to serve their time and
so there was something of the early 19th century
prisoner model. To actually serve time in their
country with their elders and family and community,
assists positive outcomes by avoiding the added
penalty of isolation.