In this episode of Community Matters, JLG Architects’ Jennifer Burke Jackson and Rachelle Juntunen, Warden at Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center, talk about what normal can look like for incarcerated women, the challenges of re-entering into the community, and the uptick in female incarceration. As a long-time administrator in this world, Rachelle shares her raw points of view and ideas on how we can begin to unpack real solutions, together.
Rachelle Juntunen is currently the Administrator at Southwest Multi-County Correction Center. Her role includes oversight of both the local jail as well as serving as the warden of Dakota Women’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Center (DWCRC) in New England, ND. Her career began as an addiction counselor but she has spent the last 17 years in corrections. Rachelle is committed to implementing programs for those that are incarcerated and often struggle with addiction and looks forward to the day in which mental health and addiction can be treated as the medical conditions that they are.
Jennifer Burke Jackson leads JLG’s Community Studio, focused on projects of positive impact for the communities in which we live, work, and otherwise exist. Jennifer and her team recognize the far-reaching impact and value of personal stories, experiences, and voices within the community, especially those that are not often heard. Sharing challenges and understanding new perspectives drives Jennifer and the JLG Team to design solutions that do more to engage the full breadth of humanity. To be better architects (and better people), her team is learning out loud, sparking conversation, and inviting raw truth to redesign reality.
