Frances Anderton recently interviewed HMC President Beverly Prior on the NPR program DnA: Design and Architecture on KCRW (NPR from Santa Monica College) about designing prisons. The topic of discussion was, “Should Architects Design for Solitary Confinement?”

Beverly, along with architect Raphael Sperry and architect/author Joe Day, talked about California state prisons and the call for an end to indefinite solitary confinement in Security Housing Units, known as SHUs. During the program, Raphael Sperry discussed his challenge to fellow architects to ban the design of SHUs. Beverly Prior responded, reflecting on her career designing for various types of incarceration from jails to juvenile and adult detention facilities at the county level. And Joe Day commented on how he sees societal values mirrored in the growth of both American prisons and museums.

Listen to what all three speakers had to say—or if you feel like skipping ahead to Beverly’s commentary, her interview begins at 5:12 and goes through 17:46

Link to NPR interview: “Should Architects Design for Solitary Confinement?”