近年来随着我国监狱布局调整进一步深入，监狱建筑的建设也进入了一个崭新的发展时期，但我国建筑界对此方面的研究仍较为薄弱。监狱建筑的相关研究在西方是显学，各个领域的大师学者均对其有浓厚兴趣而产生了不少经典著作。对西方国家先进的监狱建筑的设计方法及理论研究，可以丰富我国监狱建筑的相关理论，为我国监狱改良与建设提供一定程度的借鉴。 本文以世界监狱及囚犯人数最多的国家——美国的监狱建筑作为研究对象，对美国监狱建筑的发展历程、设计规律、空间模式以及发展趋势进行了梳理和呈现，并在此基础上对中国监狱建筑的改良提出了拙见，希望对我国监狱建设事业有所帮助。 本文按上述研究内容分为3部分。其中： 第一部分为立论，包含第1章和第2章。主要论述了本文的研究背景、研究对象、研究意义和研究框架，总述了美国监狱建筑的历史溯源、发展历程和当代概况，并简述了当代美国监狱的相关司法制度。 第二部分为本论，包含第3章到第6章。此部分详细介绍了当代美国监狱建筑的选址方式，归纳了乡野型、郊区型、城市型三种选址类型，阐述了当代美国监狱建筑的场地设计要点，总结了校园式、庭院式、环绕式、并列式和堆叠式五种场地布局形式，展现了当代美国监狱建筑的行政管理区、囚犯活动区、囚犯监舍区和保障维护区四种功能空间的空间模式和设计规律，并论述了当代美国监狱建筑包括建筑构件、安全控制、报警装置、控制中心及周界安防系统在内的多种安全设施设计。 第三部分为为结论，即第7章，对本文内容进行了总结归纳，概要介绍了当代美国监狱的困境，展望其发展趋势，并在此基础上提出了当代美国监狱建筑对于我国监狱建筑的借鉴意义。

With the adjustment of prison layout in China recent years, the construction of the prison building enters a new stage. But the research on prison architecture is still relatively weak in China. Many masters and scholars in various fields are strongly interested in the prison architecture in west and have produced many classics. The design theory and technique of prison architecture in advanced Western countries can enrich ours and provide a certain degree of reference for the improvement and construction of our prison. With the research on the prison buildings in the U.S. which sustains the most prisons and inmates in the world, this dissertation tries to figure the development, design techniques, space characteristics and development trend of American prison architecture. On this basis, I give humble opinions for the Chinese prison building improvements and hope to be helpful. This dissertation is divided into three parts, Including: The first part contains Chapters 1 and 2. It discusses research background, research object, research significance and research framework, and sketches a general overview of the history of American prisons and contemporary American prison justice system. The second part contains Chapter 3 to Chapter 6. Chapter 3 details the contemporary American prison site selecting, summed up three site types including rustic, suburban, and urban. Chapter 4 expounds the facility design and presents 5 facility design forms consist of campus, connected, contained, paralleled and stacked. Chapter 5 shows the design techniques of function space including administration, program, housing and maintenance area. Chapter 6 elaborates the safety facilities in the American prison buildings. The third part Chapter 7 summarizes an overview of the plight of the contemporary American prison and looking forward to its development trend, and presents the references for Chinese prisons on this basis.