Shining a light on lighting: Prison lighting, correctional officer workspace and well-being
In this article, we investigate Canadian federal correctional officers’ (CO) experiences and concerns with their prison workspaces. By drawing upon carceral geography, and recognizing the existing relationship shared between architecture, design and the lived experience of space, we consider how prison light(ing), or lack thereof, impacts the workspaces and well-being of COs. This article draws upon data generated from interviews conducted with Canadian federal COs (n=60), derived from a larger longitudinal study (Ricciardelli et al., 2021). We first illustrate how (limited) access to natural light is often the consequence of safety and security concerns, before examining the impact of this access on the work experience, as well as the health and well-being of the CO. We then turn our attention to the provision of alternative or security-minded light(ing), which often renders prison spaces over-illuminated. Taken together, the article’s focus reveals an inherent lighting problem. While natural light(ing) is in particular purportedly stringently managed in the prison setting, the very nature of light renders it highly uncontrollable. Such findings illuminate the problems associated with the prison lighting that circulates within spaces of incarceration, as well as the (un)intentional and latent consequences of prison conditions for care. We close with recommendations for improving CO and prisoner well-being in relation to lighting in prison spaces.