When it comes to CoreCivic's normalization efforts, every detail plays an important role in creating environments and daily routines within our facilities that mirror the community and free world as much as possible. This includes everything from using trauma-informed paint colors on the walls and installing sound absorbing panels to the placement of furniture in a shared space layout.

Choosing furniture and designing a room may seem like a normal, routine task for most. But for incarcerated individuals, they may not have had the opportunity to provide input on how they would like their living space to look or feel. Normalization efforts are providing this opportunity at select CoreCivic facilities, while also continuing to provide safe and secure environments.

To ensure approaches are evidence-based, CoreCivic has partnered with industry experts, including internationally based architects and field leaders with lived experience. Armed with this support and feedback from those who have been incarcerated, CoreCivic team members have hand selected couches, tables, chairs, flooring, games, and more while also keeping in line with our government partners' requirements. In the case of the recently completed incentive pod at CoreCivic's Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas, Colorado, the project team installed furniture and carpeting to provide a feel of separate and comfortable living spaces, all which have different purposes and living tones.

When you picture how the average home is designed, the living or dining areas are typically the heart of the home. This same principle was used in developing the design for the incentive pod, all the while challenged by the room's large size and an inability to install walls. The design team exercised their creativity to determine how sections of this large pod could be differentiated from one another to mimic the layout of a typical home. The result: strategically placed planter boxes and carpet squares. Residents can now walk directly to their preferred area, such as group dining, the TV room, gaming station, recreational area, or restrooms). This design allows for both a home-like feel and a safe living environment while not obstructing officers' or camera views.

The normalized furniture and environment at Bent have made a profound impact on residents. Facility staff and normalization project team members report residents are taking ownership of their living space, respecting it, and treating it with care. Residents have also been able to change their mindset and experience a calmer environment that feels more like a home—a positive behavioral change that CoreCivic hopes residents will take into their lives after release.

Residents aren't the only ones impacted by these upgrades: New furniture and design layouts have been well-received by staff and residents' families, as normalization aims to provides a more comfortable visitation experience. CoreCivic's normalization efforts began in 2023 and since then, CoreCivic has celebrated positive feedback from staff, residents, families of those in our care, and recently released individuals.