Alligator Alcatraz Enters Outdoor Cage Design in National Architecture Awards, Announces Licensing Program
Facility leadership says the same layout inspectors flagged for hygiene and safety violations could soon be coming to a detention center near you.
Facility administrators confirmed this week that the outdoor cage enclosures cited in a recent inspection report have been submitted as an entry in an upcoming architecture and design competition, in the category reserved for 'adaptive outdoor structures.'
"We heard the words 'basic standards were not met' and thought, why stop at basic," said a facility spokesperson, who then excused themselves to laminate a blueprint. "Every great innovation starts with someone saying this technically shouldn't exist."
The licensing plan, still in early development, would allow other detention facilities to adopt the same open-air cage design under a shared branding agreement. Promotional materials reportedly describe the enclosures as 'naturally ventilated' and 'exposed to the elements by design,' phrasing that inspectors had used somewhat differently in their original findings.
A facility fact sheet distributed to prospective licensees lists the cages' advantages as low construction cost, high visibility, and what the sheet calls 'built-in accountability, since everyone can just see it from the road.' No word yet on whether the design-award judges plan to visit in person or simply review the inspection report.