Work

Overlapping Crises: Climate Disaster Susceptibility and Incarceration

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent all over the world; however, there is significant variability in the impact of disasters, including which specific communities are the most vulnerable. The objective of this descriptive study was to examine how climate disaster susceptibility is related to the density of incarceration at the county level in the United States. Percent of the population incarcerated in the 2010 census and the Expected Annual Loss (EAL) from natural hazards were broken into tertiles and mapped bivariately to examine the overlap of areas with high incarceration and susceptibility to climate disasters. Over 13% of counties were in the highest tertile for both incarceration and EAL, with four states containing over 30% of these counties. The density of incarceration and climate disaster susceptibility are overlapping threats that must be addressed concurrently through (1) decarceration, (2) developing standardized guidance on evacuated incarcerated individuals during disasters, and (3) more deeply understanding how the health of everyone in these counties is jeopardized when prisons suffer from climate disasters.

Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127431

Authors: Kristen N. Cowan, Meghan Peterson, Katherine LeMasters, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein

Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Language: English

Topic: Disaster Management and Resilience

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,618