Invited Perspective: Uncovering Harmful Exposures in Carceral Environments

Vázquez, Damián; Cloud, David H.

doi:10.1289/ehp11653

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Although there is clearly a need for more empirical research to quantify the environmental harms of incarceration [11], we now know much more than we did about the potential exposure of incarcerated populations to harmful environmental conditions. Numerous studies now identify the proximity of prisons to potentially hazardous sites; for example, one showing that in nine western states of the United States, juvenile detention centers are in close proximity to hazardous waste ('Superfund') sites [12].…”

Section: Toxic Prisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxic Prisons? Local Environmental Quality and the Wellbeing of Incarcerated Populations

Moran,

Jordaan,

Jones

2024

Land

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A growing body of scholarship draws attention to prisons and environmental justice, pointing out the propensity for prisons to be located on contaminated sites and to be in close proximity to polluting industries, as well as for prisons themselves to contribute to local environmental degradation. Prisoners’ immobility renders them unable to relocate away from harmful environments, and there are now numerous suggestions that their wellbeing suffers as a result of the poor quality of many local environments. However, since a relationship between environmental quality and prisoner wellbeing is yet to be robustly demonstrated, there is currently no firm evidence base from which to argue for positive change. This paper therefore examines the effect of the environmental quality of the locations of prisons, approximated as the presence of greenspace in the immediate vicinity of prisons, local species biodiversity and local levels of air and noise pollution, on wellbeing outcomes in a set of prisons in England and Wales. It finds that good environmental quality, in the form of high biodiversity and/or low air pollution, enhances the already-recognized positive effects of greenspace on the wellbeing of incarcerated populations. On the basis of these findings, this paper makes evidence-based policy recommendations intended to enhance the wellbeing of incarcerated populations.

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Section: Toxic Prisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxic Prisons? Local Environmental Quality and the Wellbeing of Incarcerated Populations

Moran,

Jordaan,

Jones

2024

Land

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“…Third, an emerging body of research is examining mass incarceration and prison conditions through a lens of environmental justice ( 14 , 112 ). As threats of climate change mount, environmental scientists have an important role to play in assessing and addressing public health problems related to environmental hazards, such as extreme heat, polluted water, exposures to lead or other contaminants, and emergency responses to hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters ( 26 , 130 ). The theories, methods, and ethics of epidemiology, as the core science of public health, are vital tools for exposing health inequities that evade the nation’s public health surveillance systems.…”

Section: Important Areas Of Focus For Public Health Research and Inte...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Health and Prisons: Priorities in the Age of Mass Incarceration

Cloud

Garcia-Grossman

Williams

2023

Annu. Rev. Public Health

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Mass incarceration is a sociostructural driver of profound health inequalities in the United States. The political and economic forces underpinning mass incarceration are deeply rooted in centuries of the enslavement of people of African descent and the genocide and displacement of Indigenous people and is inextricably connected to labor exploitation, racial discrimination, the criminalization of immigration, and behavioral health problems such as mental illness and substance use disorders. This article focuses on major public health crises and advances in state and federal prisons and discusses a range of practical strategies for health scholars, practitioners, and activists to promote the health and dignity of incarcerated people. It begins by summarizing the historical and sociostructural factors that have led to mass incarceration in the United States. It then describes the ways in which prison conditions create or worsen chronic, communicable, and behavioral health conditions, while highlighting priority areas for public health research and intervention to improve the health of incarcerated people, including decarceral solutions that can profoundly minimize—and perhaps one day help abolish—the use of prisons. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 44 is April 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure Risks in US Carceral Facilities, 2022

Poirier,

Salvatore,

Brown

et al. 2024

Am J Public Health

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Objectives. To assess the US incarcerated population’s risk of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Methods. We assessed how many of the 6118 US carceral facilities were located in the same hydrologic unit code watershed boundaries as known or likely locations of PFAS contamination. We conducted geospatial analyses on data aggregated from Environmental Protection Agency databases and a PFAS site tracker in 2022 to model the hydrologically feasible known and presumptive PFAS contamination sites for nearly 2 million incarcerated people. Results. Findings indicate that 5% (∼310) of US carceral facilities have at least 1 known source of PFAS contamination in the same watershed boundary and that it is at a higher elevation than the facility; also 47% (∼2285) have at least 1 presumptive source. A minimum of 990 000 people are incarcerated in these facilities, including at least 12 800 juveniles. Exposure risks faced by incarcerated youths are disproportionately underassessed. Conclusions. The long-term impacts from potential exposures to PFAS are preventable and exacerbate health inequities among incarcerated populations. Widespread public attention to PFASs can be parlayed into broader environmental monitoring for imprisoned people. ( Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print March 15, 2024:e1–e10. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307571 )

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Invited Perspective: Uncovering Harmful Exposures in Carceral Environments

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Toxic Prisons? Local Environmental Quality and the Wellbeing of Incarcerated Populations

Toxic Prisons? Local Environmental Quality and the Wellbeing of Incarcerated Populations

Public Health and Prisons: Priorities in the Age of Mass Incarceration

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure Risks in US Carceral Facilities, 2022

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