October 2013

One out of three inmates in California prisons is deemed to have some form of mental illness. Prison guards have been using pepper spray when prisoners do not obey what they are asked to do, regardless of whether or not they are able to understand the requests. Now a federal scrutiny into the use of force ordered the California department of corrections to make public 122 tapes of such incidents which had been sealed. There has been at least one death attributed to pepper spray, and one of the tapes involves a naked person being sprayed for about half an hour sometimes at close range—perhaps an extreme example, but nevertheless a documented occurrence. As a result of U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton’s order, the department is working on new rules to curb allowing the use force to subdue mentally ill prisoners. The new rules have not been released but department of correction officials hope they will be in place by the end of the year. New rules for mentally ill inmates are obviously essential, but they are not enough. What is needed is a total rethinking of what to do with those who are mentally ill and end up in prison.

The small Austrian village of Krumbach has commissioned architects from several countries to build 11 avant-garde bus stops. The local cultural commission conceived of the project also eliminating any star architect. No compensation for these select few, instead a week’s vacation in the area. Krumbach volunteers and donated materials are also part of the project. The firms participating are from Chile, Belgium, Norway, Russia, China, Japan, and Spain. Apparently all eager, within 4 weeks those contacted had agreed. Some have already travelled to the village being impressed by the local materials, traditional craftsmanship and buildings rich with details. For its part Krumback is looking forward to “inspiration and new ways of seeing”. While it wouldn’t be easy to import the idea in a culture of bottom line such as ours, the idea can be adapted. Cities can very much benefit from the same inspiration and new ways of seeing that architects are often the catalyst for.

Taking Responsibility Jesse Griffiths is a chef in Austin, Texas. He used to have a supper club, Dai Due, has worked in France and at several renowned restaurants and has a popular stand at Austin’s farmer’s market. Now, he’s mostly come to be known for the hunting classes he leads. He takes a maximum of 25 hunting, shooting and butchering deer in the Texas countryside. He doesn’t target the outdoor types, but those who regularly eat hamburgers. “ People who eat meat should see what happens to animals before it ends up on their table,” he says, “every time they consume an animal, they should make sure, they’re comfortable with it.” Eric Barton, who wrote the BBC article about Jesse Griffiths offers a comment, “This begs a question for the rest of us: If diners are being asked to think more about the source of their food, why stop at the dinner table?”