Prisons as Law-Violators and Sites of Environmental Injustice

Opsal, Tara; Malin, Stephanie A.; Ellis, Taylor

doi:10.1007/s10612-022-09647-8

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Carceral spaces (e.g. prisons) are often located on or near what is considered undesirable land, which includes spaces designated as coal ash dumps, old mining sites, landfills, hazardous waste collection facilities, power plants and Superfund sites (Abolitionist Law Center, 2014; Bernd et al , 2017; Davis, 2003; Helppie-Schmieder, 2016; León-Corwin et al , 2023; Opsal and Malin, 2019; Opsal et al , 2022, 2023; Perdue, 2018). These types of land use increase the risk that individuals will be exposed to various environmental hazards and experience negative health consequences.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wacquant, 2002) as well as with environmental inequality (León-Corwin et al , 2020, 2023; cf. McGee et al , 2021; Opsal and Malin, 2019; Opsal et al , 2022). Consistent with the NIMBY frame, many communities successfully resist (or altogether avoid) the placement of a prison within their boundaries; other communities, however, do become sites of prison development (Carlson, 1991; Farkas, 1999; Martin and Myers, 2005; Perdue, 2018, 2023; Perdue and Sanchagrin, 2016).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, sociologists and criminologists have provided the groundwork for future researchers to investigate how carceral confinement coincides with environmental inequality while remaining cognizant of the existing political–economic structure in society (León-Corwin et al , 2020, 2023; Opsal and Malin, 2019; Opsal et al , 2022; Pellow, 2017; Perdue, 2018; Purdum et al , 2021). Many of these scholars advance the prison proliferation framework.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In response to calls from scholars to focus on carceral spaces as environmental violators, contributors to environmental harm and sites of environmental injustice (Opsal et al , 2023; Opsal et al , 2022), we use a case-study approach critically examining two correctional facilities in the USA: the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Louisiana and California Correctional Institution. We argue that carceral spaces often are environmental health hazards that expose incarcerated persons to physical and mental harm in addition to being violators of environmental laws and policies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unsafe communities: environmental injustice in carceral spaces

Estes,

Leon-Corwin,

McElroy

2023

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Purpose Research shows that the physical locations of correctional facilities often contribute to environmental hazards. Research also shows that correctional facilities are often sited near hazardous or undesirable land(s). In combination, incarcerated individuals may be at increased risk of experiencing negative health consequences because of exposure to various environmental harms. This is especially alarming as incarcerated individuals lack the capacity to decide where they are detained. In these cases, health issues that may have developed while detained may extend beyond incarceration. Furthermore, incarcerated individuals are not protected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice policies. Design/methodology/approach Using a case study approach, the authors examine two specific correctional facilities in the USA to not only demonstrate the various environmental harms that incarcerated individuals encounter but also highlight carceral spaces as sites of environmental violations. Findings Additionally, the authors address the negative health consequences incarcerated individuals report because of exposure to these harms. They also argue that creating safer communities requires more than reducing crime and preventing criminal victimization. Creating safer communities also includes promoting environmental safety and protection from hazards that cause sickness and disease. Originality/value This work contributes to an emerging and growing body of literature that examines the intersection of carceral studies and environmental justice.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unsafe communities: environmental injustice in carceral spaces

Estes,

Leon-Corwin,

McElroy

2023

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“…The EPA provides inspection, violation, and enforcement data for over 1 000 000 EPA-regulated facilities via Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) [1]. This database has illuminated disproportionate violations of the Clean Air and Water Acts near U.S. carceral facilities as well as nationwide inequities related to the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act [2,3]. To our knowledge, no study has systematically investigated violations of the Clean Air Act across the U.S. nor explored the distribution of these violations among population subgroups, despite that marginalized populations experience disproportionate air pollution exposure and associated public health damages [4][5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disproportionate Clean Air Act violations occur in communities of color throughout the United States

Kerr,

Stedman,

Anenberg

2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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The United States (U.S.) Clean Air Act seeks to prevent and abate ambient air pollution, while also providing a framework to identify and address violations. Little research has examined where or how frequently violations of the Clean Air Act occur and how marginalized communities may bear a disproportionate share of these violations, despite the fact that marginalized communities experience persistent, disproportionate pollution levels and associated health impacts. Here, we leverage data on Clean Air Act enforcement and compliance together with demographic data to show that the most serious violations of the Act—high priority violations (HPVs)—predominantly occur in communities of color throughout the U.S. Specifically, we find that the number of facilities with an HPV within communities with the largest proportion of people of color is nearly two times greater than in communities with the smallest proportion. Only 6% of facilities with an HPV address their violations within the timeframe mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and a larger share of facilities with an HPV in disadvantaged communities do not address their violations within this timeframe compared to facilities with an HPV in non-disadvantaged communities. Enforcing agencies should improve how violations are communicated and addressed. To this end, we suggest several ways to empower individuals and communities with easy-to-access data related to Clean Air Act violations and that enforcement practices and reporting be standardized across enforcing agencies.

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Global governance and climate stress of incarcerated women: the case of the U.S

Jauk-Ajamie

2022

International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justi

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Prisons as Law-Violators and Sites of Environmental Injustice

Cited by 5 publications

References 39 publications

Unsafe communities: environmental injustice in carceral spaces

Unsafe communities: environmental injustice in carceral spaces

Disproportionate Clean Air Act violations occur in communities of color throughout the United States

Global governance and climate stress of incarcerated women: the case of the U.S

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