AAJ Fall Conference 2026 -- Designing for Justice Positive and Community Connection

The AAJ Fall Conference 2026: Designing for Justice Positive and Community Connection, will be held in Minneapolis, October 7-9, 2026. This conference will explore the pivotal role architects play within the justice system, emphasizing the societal impact and community connection of their designs in justice facilities. The goal is to build a more equitable and just system, empowering disenfranchised, poor, and underserved communities and allowing them to thrive and flourish. The conference will explore the role in building a justice system focused on improved results outcomes (improved health and well-being, reduced incarceration rates, lower recidivism, lower overall crime) across the communities served. It will focus on how architects achieve this through Humane Design Principles, exploring innovative strategies to integrate compassion and humanity into the architectural and environmental design of justice facilities, ensuring they promote well-being for all inhabitants; designing justice facilities that cater to the diverse needs of all users, including staff, visitors, the incarcerated and their families, promotes inclusivity, accessibility and comfort; and encouraging designs that not only serve their primary function within the justice system but also engage with and contribute positively to their local communities.