AIA Updates Ethics Code to Prohibit Design of Facilities Used for Solitary Confinement, Execution

Advocates in the design industries have been pushing for years for the American Institute of Architects to take a stance on how prisons are designed.

1 minute read

December 16, 2020, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania closed in 1971. | Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock

Jonathan Hilburg reports that the national branch of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has updated its code of ethics to "prohibit the design of spaces intended for execution, torture and prolonged solitary confinement," adopting the change on December 10.

"Interestingly enough, the AIA has framed the decision as one not just of social justice but of specifically addressing racism in the built environment, acknowledging the disproportionate rates that minorities in America are subject to these spaces," explains Hilburg.

The source article includes more insight into the details of the AIA's new stance on prison reform, which has grown out of the public response to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that have continued around the country throughout the year.

FULL STORY: The AIA updates its code of ethics, prohibits members from designing torture or execution chambers

Monday, December 14, 2020 in The Architect's Newspaper

Architecture Community / Economic Development Social / Demographics United States Prisons American Institute of Architects Code of Ethics Architects View More

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