Incarceration and the Environment- Emma Schlosser

People who are incarcerated have extremely limited agency in how they can go about life while in prison. We often talk about environmental change, yet the criminal justice system has failed individuals in the system. Oftentimes, prisons are build near landfills and dump sites, places people are encouraged to steer clear of when choosing where to live. These dump sites, give off horrible chemicals and harmful pollutants, often creating health problems for those who live close to them. Incarcerated individuals are unable to change their positions, resulting in an unmovable, harmful position in society. Our criminal justice need serious reform at a baseline, but when we factor in the pollutants many of these people are near it makes the situation much more time sensitive, due to the health problems in being placed so close to these centers. 

State governments need to be much more mindful when it comes to landfill placements and where prisons are built. It is an inhuman practice added to an already dehumanized population in society.


https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/04/20/environmental_injustice/

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