Via BoingBoing! and CourtTV News (9 Nov), an Associated Press report on attempts to soothe violent prisoners by redecorating a detention centre in a nursery theme:
The Dallas County Detention Center is being repainted a soft shade of pink in an effort to better manage sometimes volatile detainees. Dallas County Sheriff Mike Rackley said he decided to update the look as part of extensive repairs necessary after inmates set a fire and vandalized the interior in an escape attempt.
“Basically, if they are going to act like children and commit a childish act, then we’ll make a childish atmosphere,” he said. “And its a calming thing; Teddy bears are soothing. So we made it like a day care, and that’s kind of like what it is, a day care for adults who can’t control their behavior in public.”
[…] “How do you feel tough in a pink atmosphere?” Rackley said of the new color scheme, which was inspired by similar redecorating efforts at jails in Texas and Arizona.
[…] It’s a trend that’s backed up by science. Researchers have documented the ability of certain colors to evoke emotional and physical responses. “It’s certainly viable,” said Mike Carlie, a professor of criminology at Missouri State University. “There have been positive findings that show that certain colors stimulate and excite, and other colors, I guess you would say ’soothe the soul.’”
See also:
- Are you more likely to confess in a blue room? (April 06)
- Police think pink to drive out yobs (August 06)
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[…] a nutshell, the prison has decided to follow what is apparently becoming a prison trend (see Missouri and Iowa). The Van Zandt County Criminal Justice Center is also adopting pink jump suits, although […]
[…] lower re-offense rate?), but, whatever. The Van Zandt County Criminal Justice Center in Texas, the Dallas County Detention Center in Missouri, and the Jackson County Jail in Iowa have all transitioned to pink in one form or […]
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