In Texas, women's incarceration rates have increased dramatically over the past few decades—over 1000 percent since 1980. Within that group, Black single women are the persons with categorically the highest likelihood of ending up incarcerated. Still, conversations about the harms incarceration causes have historically and largely been centered around men.
Alternatives to Incarceration
Women have long borne the brunt of over-policing. Now, they're the fastest-growing incarcerated population in Texas.
Design Firm Wants to Build “Feminist” Jails and Prisons. Abolitionists Say “No.”
On June 24, the architecture and design firm HDR Inc. held what it thought would be a standard event as part of the 2022 American Institute of Architects (AIA) conference at its office in Chicago, Illinois. But the firm, which has designed more than 275 jails and prisons while billing itself as progressive and morally responsible, was met with a powerful presence of abolitionists at its doorstep during the conference.
Failed Architecture Podcast: Stop Building Prisons
For Breezeblock #30, editor christin hu chats with community organizers Maggie Luna, Avalon Betts-Gaston, and Sashi James about their recent action at HDR (Henningson, Durham, Richardson), one of the largest architecture firms in the world, who are responsible for designing hundreds of prisons. Together, they discuss the reasons why architects should refuse to take part in the building of prisons and what they can do instead.
Rally raises awareness of Texas’ high incarceration rate
Advocates gathered Sunday afternoon at an east Austin park to raise awareness about the high rate of incarceration in Texas and the United States. According to a 2021 report by the Prison Policy Initiative, Texas has the 10th-highest incarceration rate in the country.