Comprehensive Design Report: Ulmarra Women's Prison, New South Wales

This report details the design of a medium-security women's prison located in Ulmarra, NSW. The design prioritizes the safety and security of both inmates and staff, while also aiming to facilitate rehabilitation. The prison incorporates a three-level structure with reinforced concrete and strategic use of glass for natural lighting. The design includes features such as a no-go buffer zone, separate parking, visitor areas, and dedicated worship spaces for different religions. The report emphasizes compliance with Australian prison guidelines, addressing prisoner needs through healthcare, vocational training, and recreational activities, including a large playground. The design also addresses potential security risks and emergencies with features like smoke detectors, fire-retardant materials, and emergency escape routes.

PRISON DESIGN FOR WOMEN

Introduction
Correctional facilities meant to keep convicted errant members of the society away from the general
public during their incarceration and rehabilitation period. In addition to ensuring the security of
members of the public, the correctional facilities must be designed in such a way that they keep the
convicts' safety and secure (security of convicts), while also ensuring the staff and officers running
the prison are also secure from the convicts (Human Rights Law Centre, 2020). The Australia
government has set minimum prison standards for the design of the prison, in recognition of human
rights for prisoners even while incarcerated. This paper describes the design for a women's prison
and is aimed at ensuring the safety of women, especially Aboriginal women who are
disproportionately represented in prison (MC, 2019). The designed prison will be located at
Ulmarra, Clarence valley district, near the Clarence River in New South Wales.
The security level
The design is for a medium security facility for women. The prison is designed to ensure the public
is safe from inmates for the duration of their stay in prison, while it also ensures the inmates remain
safe, and the officers running the prison are also safe (Heaton, 2016).
The overarching aims of the prison
The aim is to create a prison that keeps convicts away from the public, including being a deterrent
against any attempts at escaping and ensures they remain safe while in the prison. This is the basic
aim of the prison, however, going by efforts to make prison rehabilitation centers rather than
punishment camps, the design aims at designing for amenities that include a playground. The
playground will be used for physical/ sporting activities and for the inmates to enjoy some fresh air
and sunshine whenever it is available. Another design aim is to cater to the welfare of the prisoners;
the rehabilitation should include activities that provide the skills that can help them integrate
productively into society upon being released. Further, the health of the prisoners is a priority and
this is also a design aim. Another design aim is to maximize the available space (total of ten acres)
and maximize resource usage, in which costs are kept low, and modern design principles, including
energy efficiency, are achieved. The design aims at complying with the Standard Guidelines for
Prison Facilities in Australia and New Zealand (1990) and also consider the human rights of the
prisoners, including their right to exercise their religious beliefs. Rehabilitation is a major aim of the
design.
The Design
The prison is designed with three levels, with reinforced concrete used in the design to provide
strength on the outer wall. Some sections, such as the visitors waiting area, the security clearance,
the dining area side facing the playground, and activity/ day area are designed using glass. This is
to allow as much natural lighting as possible and the floors are deliberately made high so that there

is sufficient air circulation. All the sleeping quarters have air vents that ensure there is adequate and
fresh air. To complement energy requirements, the entire roof will have solar panels installed to
provide lighting through out, in addition to the mains power supply and a standby generator. The
cells/ sleeping areas are designed to be sufficient large for air circulation, with the wall sections
designed with shelves (made of concrete). There is a common area where prisoners sit everyday in
the evening to watch films or get some entertainment; it has a secured television screen with
sufficiently loud speakers. The cells are designed to maximize space and create a sense of security.
Standard prison design features are used, including having centrally controlled high gauge steel
doors. This is to bock the exist while allowing some light and visibility.
To ensure the prison is secure, there will be CCTV cameras installed at strategic locations, including
the kitchen, library, dining and common areas, and activity rooms, including the workshop and
visitor booths/ video conferencing areas. The prison will have the main prison with a perimeter
chain link fence going up 14 feet, and behind it will be a reinforced concrete perimeter. Behind will
be greens and farm areas; prisoners can be taken to these places to do some work such as farm or
learn gardening under supervision. This section is also surrounded by a high 14 foot concrete wall
and this creates a separation with the main outer wall perimeter fence. Between this wall and the
outermost fence covering the prison property is a no go buffer area where prisoners are not allowed
to go. This area has watch towers at all corners to ensure security. This wall is also concrete with
chain link and electric fence to deter any would be escapees; on one end is the Clarence river. The
prison has been constructed next to a river so that the prison can get sufficient fresh water (the
prison will treat the water first). There is a prayer area, an enclosed section with glass facade and
concrete and its is separated, Muslims will be at one end and Christians and other religions will be
at the opposite end. A huge playground is provided in between the religious sections for exercise,
socializing, catching the sun.
How your design complies with the Standard Guidelines for Prison Facilities in Australia and
New Zealand (1990) (identify areas of the prison and match them with the Guidelines – at
least four examples should be provided)
i. A no go buffer zone- this is designed to ensure the prisoners remain within the prison and is
a requirement of the Standard Guidelines for Prison Facilities in Australia and New Zealand
(1990). This is a no go zone for prisoners and is enclosed by the main perimeter wall with
watch towers; inmates are not allowed in this area under any circumstances (State of
Victoria, 2020).
ii. Parking- the visitors parking is separate from the prison staff and vehicles parking; the
visitor parking is located right next to the main entrance and is clearly marked so visitors

can see. When visitors arrive, they park and have to access the main prison housing on foot
with security cameras installed to observe their movements (State of Victoria, 2020).
iii. Visitor area- there is a dedicated area for visitors, as well as contact booths where prisoners
can meet with their respective guests. Face to face in an open area. There is a cafe where
visitors and prisoners can have beverages (this is supervised) with their visitors as they chat.
They can also talk with people behind a security glass on phone, and there is a video
conferencing room as well for prisoners to chat/ talk with loved ones through video
conferencing (State of Victoria, 2020).
iv. Separation- The car parks and areas of vehicular movement are completely separate from
the prison quarters (State of Victoria, 2020).
v. Materials and color- ‘Soft’ materials and color schemes are used, even on steel doors,with
a mixture of bright and soft colors to create a sense of ‘home’ (State of Victoria, 2020).
How the design meets prisoner needs including treatment, health care and religious worship
The design has two dedicated worship areas located at opposite ends of the play/ open and exercise
area. One is for Muslims and another is for Christians and other religions, with each having a
separate place for worship.
The prison has a dedicated clinic with qualified staff, including a pharmacy where prisoners can get
medial treatment. First aid equipment is also located at security booths and their water is treated to
ensure they are protected from water borne diseases.
Aspects of the design that promote or contribute to the rehabilitation of prisoners
The prison is designed with a clinic where there will be two full time psychiatrists and a medical
officer as well as nurses. The psychiatrists will be at the forefront of rehabilitating the prisoners
through continued guidance and counseling and mental health provision. The prison has several
activity rooms where the prisoners will engage in a variety of activities, including guided
meditation (Kerekes, Fielding and Apelqvist, 2017) and training/ speakers. Guest speakers and
motivational speakers will be invited from time to time to motivate and help rehabilitate prisoners
(Watt, Hu, Magin and Abbott, 2018). A fully stocked library will be available, with materials for
prisoners to access and get desired material, including enrolling for training/ distance learning
lessons. The prison has activity rooms to be used as training areas, in addition to a workshop where
there will be various vocational courses provided, including design, computer studies, and other
relevant courses during their stay (Vandala, 2019).
The playground and exercise area is very large and prisoners can engage in some form of sport,
including basketball, netball, or other ball games that do not use any equipment like cricket. The
prisoners will be required to engage in some moderate physical activity at least once daily to keep
them physically fit and help relieve stress and mental problems (Vatansever and Gezen, 2020).

The cells are designed to provide sufficient space with a table (concrete) for reading, a shelf made
of concrete to store personal effects, and plastic chairs to sit on. Of course there are beds with
comfortable beddings and each cubicle has its own toilet bowl, a sanitary bin, and a sink, separated
by a concrete wall for privacy. There will be a two bed configuration for cells and single
configurations for ore serious offenders or to give choice.
How the design addresses potential security risks and emergencies.
The building is a three storey building with stairs to access the upper floors; there will be four
emergency escape routes leading out to the playground, which is the designated fire assembly point.
All the risk rooms have smoke detector; examples of risk rooms include the kitchen, laundry,
washrooms, workshop, offices, security control rooms, and the dining area. The group and day
areas also have smoke detectors with automatic fire extinguishers, same for the library and clinic.
The individual cells have automated fire extinguishers (hydrants). The building is designed with fire
retarding material on surfaces to minimize the effects of fires, including deliberate fires. The exits
are made large to accommodate several people in the event of an emergency, with a bypass
mechanism for the centrally managed door opening and locking systems in case of a fire, and
should they fail.

References
Heaton, A., 2016. Can Good Prison Design Improve Rehabilitation Prospects? – Architecture .
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Human Rights Law Centre, 2020. Dignity For People In Prison | Human Rights Law Centre.
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Kerekes, N., Fielding, C. and Apelqvist, S., 2017. Yoga in Correctional Settings: A Randomized
Controlled Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, [online] 8(2). Available at:
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5650609/#!po=75.0000> [Accessed 9 April
2020].
MC, A., 2019. Crisis Of Aboriginal Women In Prison In Australia. [online] Aljazeera.com.
Available at: <https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/crisis-aboriginal-women-prison-
australia-191105183142685.html> [Accessed 9 April 2020].
State of Victoria, 2020. Standard Guidelines For Prison Facilities In Australia And New Zealand |
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<https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/standard-guidelines-for-prison-facilities-in-australia-and-new-
zealand> [Accessed 9 April 2020].
Vandala, N., 2019. The transformative effect of correctional education: A global perspective. Cogent
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Vatansever, Ş. and Gezen, M., 2020. Examination of the relationship between physical activity level
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Watt, K., Hu, W., Magin, P. and Abbott, P., 2018. “Imagine if I'm not here, what they're going to
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