The United States currently has over seven million people under some form of correctional supervision.  Two million of these people are confined in prisons; places with profound effects on prisoners and prison staff alike.

Physically, the prison separates not only humans from other humans and their communities, but also humans from nature.  Many still incorrectly believe that this separation promotes accountability and rehabilitation. In reality, they promote the opposite.  

Trauma and Nature

Judith Herman (1997) contends that captivity creates trauma in which those held captive experience fear, helplessness and disempowerment at the hands of those in control. In this environment, the captives begin to lose their sense of self and relationship to others. They become increasingly broken, isolated and hyper-aware of impending harms. The Prison Society has witnessed this phenomenon in the inmates with whom it works. For these inmates, the conditions of captivity do little to restore them to a sense of accountability, wholeness and health.

In addition to the trauma experienced through isolating offenders from the outside human community, the majority of American prisons also estrange the offender from nature.  When coupled with social isolation, the lack of interaction with nature forms an environment that is neither restorative nor transformative.

As recent studies show, such socially and environmentally isolated spaces often propagate more violence and harm. For instance, in urban areas, development continues to decrease the number of green spaces available to community residents. Researchers have suggested that such environments may contribute to mental fatigue that, in turn, may lead to violence and aggression. 

On the other hand, research has shown an array of social, mental and medical benefits of nature on health (Kuo and Sullivan, 2001; Moore, 2002). Nevertheless, corrections show a momentum toward building more secure facilities with increased capacity, less community space and no thought toward green spaces.

Restorative Environments

The state of isolation from people and nature contributes to prisoners being in a constant state of survival. Some prisoners survive by resorting to violence.  Others find their survival growing out of relationships with themselves, others and their environment. They embrace nonviolence and find healthy ways to cope. They exercise and take advantage of opportunities to work outside. They rekindle a spiritual life. They get involved in meaningful activities that bring them in contact with people outside the prison. They transcend prison through their relationships.

In this way these prisoners create restorative spaces for themselves within the prison environment, which makes it possible for them to accept responsibility and heal.

Restorative environments offer safety when they operate from a stance of “do no harm,” trust and nonviolence. Such spaces are grounded in social support systems within and outside of the environment and work to create trusted relationships; sustain and encourage spiritual practices and use mind/body/soul practices, such as meditation and yoga; offer opportunities and rituals for mourning, remembrance and grief; acknowledge an individual’s experience; assist people who offend in personal healing and creating plans for self-care; and restore a sense of mutual responsibility. (See Herman, 1997; Bloom, 1997 and Yoder, 2006)

In addition, a connection with nature may be an important part of re-envisioning our prisons.  Research has shown that relationship with nature can speed up physical healing and enhance mental health.

For instance, a view of nature from a window can reduce a hospital patients’ reliance on pain medication.  Stronger communities develop among people who live close to parks or natural landscapes.  And, natural light improves work ethic, leads to reductions in stress and improved cognitive performance. Research on the Garden Project at the San Francisco county jail reported recidivism rates of 24% for those who participated in the project, as compared with 55% for the general population. 

In order to promote accountability, healing and wholeness when people offend, a new vision for restorative spaces must explore both the trauma of captivity and the need for balance with nature. There are examples of such efforts; in Norway, for example, a cross-section of the nation’s prisoners resides on the island of Bastoy where they ride horses and act as environmental stewards for their island home. 

At this stage, however, there are more questions than ready answers: 

1. What does it mean to view relationships, as opposed to separation and isolation, as a way to do justice with offenders?
2. How do we create restorative environments that respect our need for access to nature?
3. Is it possible to determine what part the availability of green spaces plays in inhibiting (or facilitating) crime and other forms of violence?
4. What can we learn from offenders themselves about the meaning and journey toward accountability, restoration and transformation?
5. How do community members view the public spaces available to them, and what role do these have in constituting an urban scene whose citizenry wishes to protect and cherish it?
6. How do community members and prisoners view prisons and how can we transform those perceptions toward a more restorative vision and reality?
7. What does the creation of restorative spaces for offenders say about the creation of restorative societies?
8. What small steps can we take toward creating restorative spaces for offenders, and restorative societies?

These questions represent just the start of the exploration of restorative environments for those who offend.


Bibliography

Bloom, Sandra. (1997 ) Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies. Oxford: Routledge.

Herman, Judith. (1997). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Violence to Political Terror. New York: Basic Books.

Johnstone, G. (2002). Restorative justice: Ideas, Values, Debates. Portland, OR: Willan Publishing.

Kuo, France E. & Sullivan, William C. (2001).  AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE IN THE INNER CITY: Effects of Environment via Mental Fatigue, Environment and Behavior,  Vol. 33 No. 4.  http://www.herl.uiuc.edu/trees/GreenRelief/SciArticle_GreenRelief.pdf (last accessed on 4/24/06)

Moore, E. 1982. "A Prison Environment's Effect on Health  Care Service Demands." Journal of Environmental Systems, 11:17-34.

Yoder, Carolyn (2006). Little Book of Trauma Healing: When Violence Strikes and Community is Threatened. Intercourse, PA: Good Books.

Barb Toews, Restorative Justice Program Manager
Lotta Rao, Communications Coordinator
Pennsylvania Prison Society

June 2006