Design Consultancy
Design Consultancy
I have been specialising in prisons and imprisonment for 35 years, researching prison architecture, design and technology for twenty years, and advising on new Design and Build projects for twelve years.
You can watch a short video of my work on Limerick women’s prison here
I have a prison consultancy called Ragged Hare and have worked with architects and engineers from some of the leading practices in the sector, including: Bryden Wood, Arup, Graham, and Galliford Try in the UK; PJ Hegarty and Henry J. Lyons in Ireland; Fletcher in New Zealand; and Guymer Bailey, FMSA and MODE Design in Australia.
I have a broad range of academic and practical experience in the field, including a history of innovative work with prison authorities in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Norway. The research that underpins these engagements is broadly focused on the aim to design prisons to have more positive outcomes than they currently do.
I have held research grants totalling over £2 million to study the built environment of the prison and its potential to rehabilitate offenders, and to study trauma-informed design for women’s prisons. I have published several dozen academic articles and book chapters on prison architecture, design and technology, as well An Architecture of Hope, which draws on my experiences of custodial design around the world, and The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Design which collects together chapters by the leading global prison design specialists and experts.
In addition to being invited to give many keynotes at academic conferences, including the British Society of Criminology annual conference, ANZSOC, and the prestigious John V. Barry Endowed Memorial Lecture in Criminology at the University of Melbourne, I’ve given keynotes at several ‘industry’ events, including the Design in Mental Health conference, the International Corrections & Prisons Association (ICPA), Euro-Pris and Informa Prison Planning & Design conferences.
My role in helping to design corrections facilities in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand has been rewarded with three prestigious prizes that celebrate the ‘real world’ impact of academic expertise – the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize (2020) the MRS President’s Medal (2021), and the University of Bath Vice-Chancellor’s Outreach Award (2024).
Among the specific design projects I have worked on are:
- New €53 million 56-bed Limerick women’s prison which has been selected as a finalist for the Irish Building and Design
- Awards 'Building Project of the Year’
- New NZ$300m Auckland East (formerly Paremoremo) maximum-security prison (with Fletcher Construction and MODE Architects). Opened 2018
- The $188.9m expansion of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC)– the main women’s correctional facility in Victoria, Australia – including a forensic mental health unit
I advised on the early master planning and design of HMP Berwyn (opened in 2017), HMP Five Wells (2022) and HMP Fosse Way (2023), and was a Consultant to the NZ Dept of Corrections on the design of a medium security men’s prison in Waikeria. I evaluated Ravenhall Correctional Centre, Melbourne VIC, Australia, and assisted on best-practice design for Rivergum Residential Treatment Centre, Ararat VIC, Australia (for Guymer Bailey Architects).
I advised on the early master planning and design of HMP Berwyn (opened in 2017), HMP Five Wells (2022) and HMP Fosse Way (2023), and was a Consultant to the NZ Dept of Corrections on the design of a medium security men’s prison in Waikeria. I evaluated Ravenhall Correctional Centre, Melbourne VIC, Australia, and assisted on best-practice design for Rivergum Residential Treatment Centre, Ararat VIC, Australia (for Guymer Bailey Architects).
