Linking the carceral and the punitive state: a review of research on prison architecture, design, technology and the lived experience of carceral space

Despite longstanding implicit recognition of the significance of prison space, which can be traced back at least as far as Bentham’s (1791) notion that prisoner reform and wellbeing are achieved in part by a 'simple idea in architecture', prison architecture, design and technology (ADT) remain under-researched and poorly theorized. This paper reviews some of the literature on carceral space, principally from human geography, but also from criminology and environmental psychology. It poses questions which point to the pertinence of research into prison design at a critical juncture in penal policy in the UK, as the Ministry of Justice rolls out a 'new for old' policy, closing down six historic prisons, partially closing three other sites, and commissioning new, large custodial facilities which appear to represent a return to previously shelved plans for warehouse-style 'Titan' prisons. This paper argues that carceral geography's concern for the lived experience of spaces of imprisonment can provide a unique and insightful perspective on this critical area of scholarship, and suggests new areas for future research.