Authors :
Asmaou Kande Noura Allabira; Mbessa Michel
Volume/Issue :
Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 8 - August
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/mst5mdew
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26aug898
Note : A published paper may take 4-5
working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and
ResearchGate.
Abstract :
This study looks at how thoughtful building design can transform detention centers for young offenders. By
exploring how teenagers grow and process stress, it highlights what these youths really need emotionally and socially while
in custody. The paper examines how everyday architectural details like natural light, welcoming materials, open layouts,
and human-scale spaces can reduce anxiety and encourage healing. Instead of relying on cold, prison-like environments that
often make behavior worse, smart spatial design can create a calm atmosphere that supports rehabilitation. Looking at realworld case studies from around the globe, this research uncovers practical design ideas that balance safety with dignity.
Ultimately, the goal is to offer architectural solutions that give young people a real chance to rebuild their lives and
successfully rejoin society.
Keywords :
Juvenile Delinquency, Rehabilitation, Penitentiary Architecture, Spatial Configuration, Detention Center.
References :
- Adrian Raine (2013) (The Anatomy of Violence).
- Baglivio, M. T., Epps, N., Swartz, K., Huq, M. S., Sheer, A., & Hardt, N. S. (2014). The prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) in the lives of the juvenile offenders. Journal of Juvenile Justice, 3(2), 1–17.
- Bath, H. (2008). The Three Pillars of Trauma-Informed Care. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 17(3), 17–21.
- Bentham, J. (1791). Panopticon; or, The Inspection-House. London: T. Payne.
- Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Cauffman, E., & Steinberg, L. (2000). (Im)maturity of judgment in adolescence: Why adolescents may be less culpable than adults. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 18(6), 741–760.
- Fairweather, L., & McConville, S. (Eds.). (2000). Prison Architecture: Policy, Design and Experience. Oxford: Architectural Press.
- Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. (A. Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Pantheon Books.
- Goffman, E. (1961). Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books.
- Goldson, B. (Ed.). (2019). Juvenile Justice in Europe: Past, Present and Future. London: Routledge.
- Jewkes, Y. (2018). Just design: Healthy prisons and the architecture of hope. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 51(3), 319–338.
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- Moran, D. (2015). Carceral Geography: Spaces and Practices of Incarceration. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing.
- Pratt, J. (2008). Scandinavian exceptionalism in an era of penal excess. Part I: The nature and roots of Scandinavian exceptionalism. The British Journal of Criminology, 48(2), 119–137.
- Steinberg, L. (2013). The influence of neuroscience on US Supreme Court decisions about adolescents' criminal culpability. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(7), 513–518.
- Ulrich, R. S. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224(4647), 420–421.
- United Nations General Assembly. (1985). United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice ("The Beijing Rules"). A/RES/40/33.
- United Nations General Assembly. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. Treaty Series, 1577, 3.
- United Nations General Assembly. (1990). United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty ("The Havana Rules"). A/RES/45/113.
- Van der Linden, P. (2015). Designing for Juvenile Justice: Architecture as a Mechanism of Social Reform. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers.
- Wener, R. E. (2012). The Environmental Psychology of Prisons and Jails: Creating Humane Spaces in Secure Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
This study looks at how thoughtful building design can transform detention centers for young offenders. By
exploring how teenagers grow and process stress, it highlights what these youths really need emotionally and socially while
in custody. The paper examines how everyday architectural details like natural light, welcoming materials, open layouts,
and human-scale spaces can reduce anxiety and encourage healing. Instead of relying on cold, prison-like environments that
often make behavior worse, smart spatial design can create a calm atmosphere that supports rehabilitation. Looking at realworld case studies from around the globe, this research uncovers practical design ideas that balance safety with dignity.
Ultimately, the goal is to offer architectural solutions that give young people a real chance to rebuild their lives and
successfully rejoin society.
Keywords :
Juvenile Delinquency, Rehabilitation, Penitentiary Architecture, Spatial Configuration, Detention Center.