There’s generally either too much or too little light-most of it fluorescent, and switched on 24/7-which scrambles everyone’s circadian rhythms. Interiors are detailed to withstand tremendous abuse, made with hard materials like concrete, linoleum, steel, and concrete block which mercilessly reflect the endless noise inside prisons, raising stress levels of both inmates and those who work with them.
Facilities are usually built like fortresses-monoliths in rural locations ringed with razor wire and high walls. Some would argue that America’s prison problem is very much a design problem.
