Article 9: Sens(e)ible Design: A Call for Participatory Prison Design

Sensory experiences play a central role in shaping everyday life in prison. These embodied dynamics cannot be fully anticipated through architectural plans, procurement processes or prefabricated design models alone. This commentary draws on emerging insights from carceral geography and sensory criminology to argue for more systematic inclusion of experiential knowledge in prison design, repair and refurbishment. It proposes Participatory Prison Design (PPD) as an approach to engage incarcerated people and staff in generating knowledge about how prison spaces are experienced, enabling design choices that balance safety and security with the embodied realities of living and working in these environments.