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Forms of Constraint: A HISTORY OF PRISON ARCHITECTURE

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In 1949 the Federal Bureau of Prisons published Correctional Institution Design and Construction, a detailed "source book for planning and construction of institutions ranging in type from the small jail and short term detention facilities for juvenile delinquents to the maximum security type of institution." In the books introduction, James V. Bennett, the agency's director, wrote: "There are in the United States more than 300 state and Federal prisons, reformatories, and training schools. In addition, there are several thousand city and county jails and workhouses. This great diversity of institutions which house and handle convicted and accused criminals represents a tremendous investment in physical plants and human lives. Yet there is probably no other type of institutional construction in this country which has been devoid of intelligent planning and direction as has the construction of penal and correctional institutions."

Since the publication of that book more than five decades ago, the United States has witnessed a phenomenal growth in institutional construction and, by necessity, increased attention to prison architecture, thus addressing some of Bennett's concerns.

In 2000 Norman Johnston, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Beaver College, provided the corrections profession a comprehensive and compelling history of the evolution of prison construction and design in Forms of Constraint: A History of Prison Architecture. In addition to its historical value, the book provides guidance for the design and construction of future prisons.

This is a scholarly, well-documented, and richly illustrated volume that represents a significant contribution to correctional literature. Norman Johnston's book adds value to the bodies of knowledge on prison history, institutional architecture, and the development of correctional policy.