Restorative Nature
SPP brings nature inside prisons with the motivation to relieve stress of prison environments. Scientific literature shows that when nature is available within institutional and urban environments, inhabitants experience many positive, therapeutic benefits. The therapeutic value of SPP’s programs has been recognized widely and consistently by both incarcerated participants and corrections staff partners.
Recently, we recognized that SPP includes several programs that don’t fit into our established reporting areas. Thus, while many of these efforts have been ongoing for years, we have just started to report on them. Again, while all SPP programs are intended to offer positive contact with nature, the programs detailed below have enjoying nature as their primary function. It is a pleasure to point to their special merit, and give them a named place within the suite of SPP programming.
| Prison | Programs | Highlights |
| AHCC | Nature Imagery | Incarcerated individuals in maximum security area can watch nature videos on a computer monitor. |
| AHCC | Flower gardens | Ornamental and pollinator-friendly plantings throughout the main and minimum areas. |
| AHCC | Diversity garden | Cultural groups grow food and flowers for their special events |
| CBCC | Flower gardens | Ornamental gardens in courtyard and access breezeway |
| CCCC | Flower gardens | Ornamental and pollinator-friendly plantings throughout the campus. |
| CRCC | Heritage Garden | Incarcerated individuals designed a garden that honor the cultural and natural heritage of our local area, using native plants to minimize water use. |
| LCC | Flower gardens | Ornamental plantings throughout the campus. |
| LCC | House plants | Only WA prison with houseplants in incarcerated individuals’ rooms |
| MCC | Houseplants | Houseplants on hospital floor. |
| MCC | Flower gardens, boxes, baskets | Flower gardens are grown to attract bees to pollinate the vegetables. |
| OCC | Water features | Two living units have fish ponds; the other has a fountain and basin |
| OCC | Flower gardens, boxes, baskets | Pollinator-friendly plantings in the horticulture area; each living unit has several garden beds planted and maintained by residents; hanging baskets and flowering beds throughout staff and facility grounds |
| OCC | Chickens | |
| SCCC | Flower gardens, boxes, baskets | Extensive flower and pollinator-friendly plantings throughout the campus. |
| WCC | Flower gardens, boxes, baskets | Flowers planted throughout the campus. |
| WCC | Nature Imagery | |
| WCC | House plants | In all shared and staff areas |
| WCCW | Flower gardens, boxes, baskets | Flowers and pollinator-friendly planted throughout the campus. |
| WCCW | Chickens | All eggs donated to partners |
| WSP | Rental garden boxes | 62 boxes available in south and east complexes |
| WSP | Houseplants | Throughout SPL and staff areas |
Women tend one of the gardens at Washington Corrections Center for Women. Photo by Ricky Osborne.