Cook County Correctional Center - Analysis
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Comments: The preceding photos, while authentic, do not depict the Cook County Correctional Center in Chicago, contrary to what is claimed in forwarded emails. The facility, located in Leoben, Austria, is the Justice and Detention Center designed by renowned architect Josef Hohensinn.
Completed in 2005, the Justice Center houses the District Court and public prosecutor's office as well as a prison designed "to optimize the quality of residence for employees and inmates." Prisoners are housed in groups of up to 15 (to a total capacity of 205) and can move freely between their compact but well-appointed cells and communal spaces, which include exercise rooms, sports facilities, and outdoor courtyards. Needless to say, the thinking behind the institution represents a bold, new — and not uncontroversial — concept in prison design.
No such facility exists in Chicago, Illinois.
Sources and further reading:
Postmodern Prison Architecture - Austria
G Living Network, 8 October 2007
Justice and Detention Center, Josef Hohensinn - Leoben, Austria
Mi Modern Architecture, 2008
Justizzentrum Leoben
Hohensinn Architektur
Last updated: 02/26/09
