In Part 2 of our series on “Prisoners”, we are talking about where prisons are located. Prisons are often built in some of the worst areas in the country. Landfills. Toxic waste sites. Abandoned sites. For instance, one-third of federal and state prisons are located near a Superfund site, which is the most severely contaminated areas. The siting of prisons represents a significant environmental injustice for the prisoners and those who work at the facilities.

We need to talk about why this is happening and what it does to the people who are exposed to these polluting areas. So let’s talk about it.

Resources:
America's Toxic Prisons - The Environmental Injustices of Mass Incarceration
Environmental Racism, Incarceration, and Toxic Prisons in the U.S
The presence of Superfund sites as a determinant of life expectancy in the United States
Medical costs and lost productivity from health conditions at volatile organic compound-contaminated Superfund sites

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