Reconsidering the environmental space of prisons - a step further towards criminal reform

Scientific Study from the year 2012 in the subject Law - Philosophy, History and Sociology of Law, grade: excellent (1), University of Vienna, language: English, abstract: The present study presents, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the space of prisons by putting forward elements pertaining to both environmental psychology and law and by discussing the effects that this space has on transforming and shaping the behavior of the inmates. It also examines the negative consequences of some social processes involving personal space, crowding, privacy, as well as the psychological effects of the prisons on the behavior of the convicts and the costs that they have on their rehabilitation. Nonetheless, the study proposes some alternatives and ways of improving the life of the convicts in these environments in order to ensure a better reintegration into the society. Keywords: prison, behavior, psychological effects, criminal reform, rehabilitation, United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, International Convention on Civil and Political Human Rights, European Prison Rules etc.