From Malaysian Architects, a Parallel Prison World in the Sky

This seems like one of the dumbest ideas. How did this win a prize?

So the farms are to be built in the sky on pedestals. All that soil and water to be suspended above us. Sounds expensive.

Also who wants to live in the dark with a prison blocking your sun and casting a shadow on your city?

Dumb!!!!

Ship them out to space. Escape? I think not.

How well does a bed-sheet work as a parachute? I think there would be lots of escape attempts.

Voices1776 is on to something- I don't think our tallest and most iconic building should be a prison- sort of sends the wrong message. A great design for communist dictatorships, though.

While I like the idea of creating a sort of community for prisoners- where there is more chance of rehabilitation, I'm not digging have the sun in an area blocked out by them... How about those water scrapers?

We shouldn't ship our prisoners off to space because every justice system has flaws and, like it or not, plenty of innocent people can get the raw end of the stick.

why spend the money? there's too many of them, just make 'em live in a hole in the ground for all I care

F*A*I*L

i would love to see this prison stand up to mother nature. i dont think it would win.

"Well we're movin on up,To the east side.To a deluxe apartment in the sky."

How about moving the prisoners out onto waterscrapers and develop sky living for non-criminals? In any case, this needs more thinking out... Romana, www.pilates-generation.com

"How well does a bed-sheet work as a parachute? I think there would be lots of escape attempts"-trireme....that would help with overcrowding... what ever happened to "State Prison"? as in a whole state.. maybe they could use some of the useless one's like DC, New York, California, Florida. no no no someplace hot and useless...Nevada...(this is just my opinion and i mean no disrespect. once these places open their eyes to the truth then my opinion will change.)

I think this idea would be very expensive and open to parachute type escapes. Not a real good idea. I think what would be better is a subterranean prison. Something deep underground with only one way in and out.

This seems like an idea for an over-populated totalitarian state.

1) It increases workable area. Go tabulate the surface of the Earth. Now, go and tabulate the surface of a sphere with a radius only, so 100' longer. Figure the % of surface area gained. That is your net gain in areable land by going up just 100'.

2) Prisons above you let you know who is in control. The windows down remind inmates of freedom. Glances up remind citizens of the price of criminal activity.

3) Using slaves - I mean prisoners - as a foundation of agriculture and manufacture has been the cornerstone of most every sucessful society ever. (Egypt, Greece, Rome, Wal-Mart, etc).

Still seems pricy, considering the old fashioned efficiency of a good prison farm or penal colony.

this is a bad idea because it would block the sun? Really?!?! hate tp break it to you all, but a large prison on the ground destroys the property value of everything around it.

Its better to shoot them right after a trial. Much cheaper. :)

Amazing how many people want to look up and, instead of seeing clear blue sky, you get to look at a prison.

Come on!

Is that rain or are the spitting over the side at us?

@Kickstand27: and putting it in the air changes what exactly? You might mention stronger security, but the proximity is still the same to surrounding buildings. If I put up an electric fence, 24hr mobile patrols, and gun towers, no matter how secure the prison is it will have the same effect you're describing. Putting it in the air does not change that inmates will have to come down from it when they are released or that busloads of inmates will constantly be trafficking in and out of the institution.

Nice idea I guess. But I think they should be underground, not in the "heavens". The thought is nice, but a little ahead of its time if you ask me.

Wow... This makes me want to go to prison. When we start building those, call me up.

The United States has 5% of the worlds population, and 25% of the worlds prisons.
We have compassion on each other if we are led to think that someone can't help themselves.
Prison cost money and at the same time is a profit maker for a few rich.
If a crime payment is justified, then execute the person who did it. Otherwise use public punishment like glass boxes in hometowns.
If prisons become more profitable, then the rich will encourage more of them any way they can, such as a great depression.
I've heard our former vice president owns quite a few.
Take charge of your family, and have compassion of your fellow humans.

The Juvenile Morons can stop reading here:

#1 - I lived in Philadelphia. No sky to be seen there.
#2 - Build it over some of the "closed to save money" military bases. Put the existing military housing to use for employees and perhaps "step down" housing.
#3 - The cost of building a prison pales in comparison to the cost of maintaining the population.
#4 - Unless there is a completely and utterly radical shift in rehabilitation, (our current prison rehabilitation statistics are abysmal) then it's all a waste.
#5 - Stop putting people in prison for selling an ounce of weed. Put them in rehab instead.
#6 - Who cares if someone gets rich. Just be sure their income is directly linked to a reduction of repeat offenders: lack of escapees: quantifiable financial savings to the government (like NOT turning a prison into a non-profit organization so they no longer have to pay property taxes): etc.

The "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" bullsh*t is so Texas. Just drop it.

neat idea. and for all the people complaining that they don't want a prison blocking their sun, think about it. this wouldn't cover an entire city. it could be built over factories, industrial centers, large buildings, etc. it's all about planning.

looking at the diagram again, i see that this prison is actually designed to be built over a large market for selling the goods produced by the prisoners. problem solved.

Why can't we put the current prisoners to work in farms and other labor intensive projects? This would solve the problem of illegal immigration in U.S since most of the illegal immigrants show up to do the low pay jobs that the legal citizens would not do. Why not have the scum of the society do it for free and earn their keep? no need for cheap labor no need for illegal immigrants. Plus the prisoners can pay for their bed and breakfast instead Joe the innocent tax payer who has to be the kind/loving/forgiving christian American supporting 25% of the world prison population. So many problems can be solved with putting the prisoners to work.

But yeah, no skyscraper for them please, not only will they parachute and fall on my house but also they might release various bodily liquids on my head while I walk out to check my mail. Getting shanked from the heavens is not something we look forward to, except from god.

not a good idea on so many levels...First & formost..COST. this would be a ridiculous project taken on by a huge construction firm for @ least 50% profit (not worth the risk for less)not to mention, being the first building of its kind, Tons of consultants, engineers, etc... i think we should try to build this but not for the prisoners.

Well shall call it Cocoon and the world below shall be called Gran Pulse....

We have think outside the cage to find something that works.

California is almost bankrupt because of unreasonably long sentences, the three-strikes law that does not work as voters intended, the broken parole system, and the governor denying parole to certain serious offenders who served their time, have been recommended for parole, and are among the least likely to re-offend.

Some tough-on-crime turned dumb-on-crime politicians want to continually expand the prison system and send people to for-profit prisons. The goal of for-profit, corporate prisons is to make money not to reform people. It is not economically sustainable.

Schools are accountable for student outcomes. Toyota is accountable for its cars. Criminal justice and prison systems should be accountable for inmate outcomes. Of course, some can never be released, and mentally ill and certain others will never be model citizens.

The recidivism rate in California is the highest the national: 70%. The prisons are not doing their job. The present big business of incarceration and criminal justice causes great harm to U.S. citizens and the economy.

Sweet: free slave labor.

Build this in a mountain range miles from civilization. That's what I would do.

As if this will ever happen.. It seems way too expensive for just a prison!

The problem with just sending criminals to space, is that it will have a massive effect on they're relationship with the world. They'll lose contact completely and have to stay up there for good. I read an interesting article on www.relationshipsarticles.net which talked about the importance of those outside our society to get a better relationship with it, instead of getting pushed out further.