Family Visitation Rooms, Washington State Correctional Facilities

FRAME collaborated with Hands On Children’s Museum and the Washington State Department of Corrections to redesign the family visitation areas at three correctional facilities.

The settings in which children visit an incarcerated parent are often fairly bleak, which does little to aid the family in creating memories, sharing activities, or building their relationships. With place-based design, unified color palettes, role-play activities, and other strategies for cooperative learning, the FRAME team designed environments that encourage child-directed, intergenerational play. The spaces are also welcoming for children whose parents or guardians need time to meet quietly. Children can spend time in solo play, meet other children in the space, or take part in staff-led activities while the adults are in conversation. 

The work in the Family Visitation Areas is also based in research about play and learning, and in the study of families impacted by incarceration. When inmates are able to maintain strong relationships with their children and other family members, rates of recidivism go down and re-entry is more successful. By creating space where incarcerated parents can be parents, while learning and playing with their child, it makes the visit more enjoyable, and improves the emotional impact of a visit to the correctional facility.