U.S. Incarceration, Brooklyn Detention Center

Reimagining Equity with Brooklyn Detention Center

Mapping systemic inequities for incarceration reform

Project Overview

The United States imprisons more people than any other nation in the world, with disproportionate effects on communities of color. Our research explored how design thinking could identify leverage points for systemic change within this complex ecosystem. Through ethnographic research, systems mapping, and stakeholder interviews, we focused on how privatization and capitalism have fundamentally shaped incarceration in America. By analyzing inmate journeys, correctional officer experiences, and language patterns within the system, we revealed critical intervention opportunities—from intake to release—that could inject greater equity and humanity into a system designed to break rather than rehabilitate individuals.

My Role

As a design researcher, I collaborated with my research partner from the Parsons School of Design to lead ethnographic research through conversations with two current inmates, two former inmates, and three correctional officers at the Brooklyn Detention Center. We conducted stakeholder interviews and facilitated systems mapping exercises and journey maps documenting prisoner experiences and their impact on system feedback loops.

Confidentiality: Names of participants and their specific details have been removed to protect those who generously shared their experiences within and outside the prison system.

Project Duration: August 2019 - December 2019

Key Partners: Parsons School of Design

Team: Fas Lebbie, Theo Walcot

Problem Context

The American incarceration system represents a profound challenge at the intersection of justice, equity, and human rights. With 2.3 million Americans behind bars in 2019, the United States maintains the highest incarceration rate globally. This system disproportionately affects communities of color, with Black males incarcerated at a rate of 4,347 per 100,000 residents compared to 678 per 100,000 for white males. The rise of mass incarceration correlates with prison privatization, creating a profit incentive within the justice system. Our research revealed that privatization presents a paradox—while creating economic opportunities, it incentivizes higher incarceration rates and longer sentences through lobbying and policy influence. The system fails to prepare inmates for successful reentry, resulting in high recidivism rates and perpetuating cycles of incarceration that devastate families and communities. Despite being labeled “correctional facilities,” our research uncovered that these institutions often fail to rehabilitate—instead, they frequently traumatize and institutionalize those who pass through them. This challenge encompasses racial equity, economic justice, mental health, and community well-being issues. It involves stakeholders at every level—from prisoners and their families to correctional officers, administrators, lawmakers, and the public—all operating within a system that prioritizes containment and punishment over rehabilitation and justice.

Design Intervention

Our design intervention focused on identifying strategic leverage points within the incarceration system. From research, we sought to develop human-centered approaches that could address the immediate needs of those within the system while also suggesting pathways for long-term structural change.

Based on our research findings, we identified three primary intervention areas:

Entry Process Redesign: Reforming the dehumanizing intake experiences that establish negative patterns from the beginning of incarceration
Staff Well-being Framework: Addressing the operational and psychological factors that cause correctional officers to adopt harmful behaviors and perpetuate systemic problems
Reentry Support System: Creating comprehensive preparation for release that begins well before an inmate’s sentence ends, reducing recidivism risks

For each intervention area, we developed specific recommendations grounded in our ethnographic research and systems understanding. These included process redesigns, policy recommendations, and service blueprints that could guide implementation. The interventions were designed to work synergistically, addressing different aspects of the same system to create compounding positive effects.

System Tree: With both worker and prisoner’s paths through the prison now mapped, we used a system tree to visualize the causes of crime (the roots of the tree) and the effects (the branches and leaves).

Choreography of the handcuffs : A visual metaphor showing how handcuffs represent the diminishing freedom and cyclical nature of recidivism in the prison system.

Rigor behind the rigor: A systems approach diagram mapping causes, solutions, and interventions in the US incarceration system with identified leverage points for reform.

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My Approach

Design Process

Design Research & Strategy

At the beginning of this research, we faced significant challenges in recruiting interview subjects due to stigma and privacy concerns. One trusted inmate represented us and gave us access to his circle of trusted participants. This required adapting our methodology, offering anonymity and alternative interview formats to gain trust and access valuable perspectives. Our ethnographic approach involved comprehensive methods to understand the corrections system better. We conducted in-depth interviews with former inmates, correctional officers, and family members to gather varied perspectives on prison experiences. We utilized systems mapping exercises to visualize complex dynamics, while journey mapping analyzed intake and release processes in detail. To enrich our findings, we conducted a documentation analysis of prison procedures and policies and a language analysis to explore how terminology shapes incarceration and rehabilitation perceptions. Our research approach combined elements of all three of Frayling’s research categories. However, it was primarily anchored in “research through design,” as we used design methodologies to generate new knowledge about the incarceration system.

Research “FOR” Design
We began with extensive documentary analysis, studying films like “Prison in 12 Landscapes” and “13th Amendment” to establish context and understand historical patterns. This preliminary research allowed us to enter the field with informed perspectives and identify key areas for investigation. Statistical analysis of incarceration rates and demographic patterns provided a quantitative foundation for our qualitative exploration. This research served our design process by identifying where to focus our attention and which stakeholders to engage.

Research “THROUGH” Design
The core of our approach involved using design methodologies as investigative tools to generate new knowledge. Through systems mapping, journey visualization, and iterative diagramming, we uncovered insights that would have remained hidden through traditional research methods alone.
Our “Challenge Mapping” exercises improved our understanding of how privatization influences the system, revealing its dual nature as both an opportunity and an obstacle. Through multiple iterations, we refined our research questions, moving from general inquiries about capitalism to specific questions about improving conditions within the system.
The creation of Stock and Flow diagrams allowed us to visualize prisoner movement through the system, uncovering the cyclical nature of incarceration and the factors that lead to recidivism.

Research “INTO” Design
We analyzed how the design of prison environments and processes shapes the human experience. Our investigation of the “Choreography of Handcuffs” examined how physical restraints serve as both practical tools and powerful symbols within the system, reflecting broader power dynamics. By studying intake processes, facility layouts, and release procedures, we gained insights into how intentional and unintentional design decisions impact those within the system. This analysis of design precedents and their effects contributed to our understanding of what would and wouldn’t work in future interventions.

Summary of Findings

Our early findings revealed the correlation between the rise of private prisons and increasing incarceration rates, which formed the foundation for our initial research questions. Furthermore, ongoing research revealed several key insights:

The System’s Self-Defeating Cycle: Despite being called “correctional,” the system frequently fails to correct behavior and often makes individuals more likely to re-offend.
Staff Transformation: Correctional officers often begin to mirror inmate behaviors due to prolonged exposure without adequate rotation or support.
Language as Control: Terminology within the system serves to dehumanize and distance, with administrators using euphemisms (“correctional facilities”) while those inside use more direct terms (“prisons”).
The Handcuff Effect: Once individuals enter the system, their options continuously narrow—like handcuffs that can only get tighter—creating a path dependency that makes escaping the system increasingly difficult.

Shared Shame: Both staff and inmates experience stigma and shame about their connection to the system, creating a reluctance to discuss experiences and hindering reform efforts.

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Reflections & Impact

Short Term Impact

We sent our research to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) for evaluation based on feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with broader state goals. Given the short timeframe, we also expressed funding to continue research. The visualization tools we developed have been used in educational contexts to help others understand the systemic nature of incarceration issues. Our findings regarding staff experiences have particular relevance for immediate policy changes, highlighting how working conditions impact the treatment of incarcerated individuals. Similarly, our analysis of intake and release processes offers actionable insights that could improve outcomes in the short term.

Long Term Impact

The long-term impact of this work lies in shifting perspectives on incarceration from a purely punitive framework to one considering system design and human experience. Our research highlights the need for cross-disciplinary approaches to systemic problems. The insights could inform policy discussions, architectural decisions for future facilities, and operational protocols within existing institutions. Importantly, this project has given voice to those within the system whose experiences are often overlooked. By documenting and analyzing these perspectives, we hope to activate better justice and rehabilitation systems.

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