With public demands for the defunding and the dismantling of police departments mounting, the city of Atlanta is repurposing an 11-story jail in its downtown area into a center for equity, justice and social development.
According to Fast Company, the city has been organizing a strategy to transform its jail for months and has tapped architect Deanna Van Buren to lead the designing of the project.
Van Buren, who co-founded the nonprofit design firm Designing Justice + Designing Spaces in 2015, has advocated for communities taking money from the criminal justice system and investing more funds into new systems of justice — which describes a system known as the divest-invest model.
Her firm previously worked on California's Restore Oakland project in which an old East Oakland building was transformed into a center for restorative justice and restorative economics. The center offers aid for those seeking legal help regarding immigration and housing rights, job training and an on-site restaurant.
“What we had before and have today is an architecture of oppression, built on the backs of slaves and the bodies of prisoners,” the Designing Justice + Designing Spaces team wrote in a Medium article. “Now we are in a moment of protest and listening. What we will need is an architecture of liberation.”
Community input and collaboration have been critical in the planning process of the latest project. Some services being considered for the space are GED preparation, reentry programs and a credit union.
“We developed a lot of tools, everything from games to interactive models, that we could bring into community to get their input on what should be put in what’s now called the Center for Equity,” Van Buren said.
The Designing Justice team sent project plans for the building site to city officials earlier this month. Members of the community will consider which proposal will make it to the next stage in the process. One design involves the team breaking down cell walls and creating “a new facade that floods the space with light.” It would also scale back the size of its mezzanine to brighten the building and turn outdoor spaces into gardens to help feed local communities.
In another design proposal, the jail would be demolished and replaced with three new buildings that better fit the culture of the neighborhood it is located in.
Community members who have worked on the project’s task force said replacing the jail with more equitable opportunities will make the city safer.
“People need services, not jail cells. … The best way to make our city safer is to make it an equitable city. To ensure that opportunities, jobs, and wellness are available to all our city’s residents, including the most vulnerable and marginalized. People do not steal food from the grocery store because they love committing crimes. They steal because they are hungry. It is in everyone’s interest to allow all people to have economic opportunity,” a statement from the task force’s report read.
The city is expected to choose a final proposal this year, however, increased attention on the state's criminal justice system may expedite the process, Fast Company reports.
