More than 6,500 prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers are vulnerable to environmental disasters nationwide.
had the misfortune of being arrested for public intoxication and booked into Orleans Parish Prison on Aug. 27, 2005—the eve of Hurricane Katrina.
From his cell, Schwarz watched the jail flood. As the flooding worsened, deputies left, trapping him for four days without food, electricity, or ventilation in chest-level water so toxic itSchwarz’s ordeal is not an anomaly but rather the result of systemic neglect that detained individuals in the U.S. endure to this day.
There are relatively few laws that focus on incarcerated individuals during emergencies. Post-Katrina reforms, for example, provided for disabled people andthat prison officials intentionally deprived them of food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or reasonable safety. This can be difficult to prove in natural disasters, as officials are2022 study found
Given the scale of mass incarceration, as well as the growing threat of climate change, the remedy to addressing prisoners’ safety during natural disasters must be widespread. Broad-scalein U.S. detention . Those practices, which balance the need for decarceration with public safety concerns, can be applied here, including refusing to jail people for technical violations or commuting sentences for those with less than six months left.
Raphael Schwarz survived his ordeal, but as climate disasters shift from rare emergencies to regular headlines, it is imperative that the U.S. move swiftly to prevent others from enduring the same fate. One thing is clear: Any effective solution here will see imprisonment not as an isolated issue but as one inexplicably intertwined with public health and environmental
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
At UN climate talks, farmers argue for a share of money dedicated to fighting climate changeDeveloping nations have a long list of changes their farmers need to make to adapt to a warming climate. Things like new and more resilient seeds, more efficient tractors and other tools, better water management systems and much more.
Read more »
At UN climate talks, farmers argue for a share of money dedicated to fighting climate changeDeveloping nations have a long list of changes their farmers need to make to adapt to a warming climate.
Read more »
The Government Push To Change Road Construction Materials To Impact Climate ChangeThe Federal Highway Administration is giving states $1.9 billion to spur buying green road materials, while the EPA has a new emissions label for makers of road inputs.
Read more »
At UN climate talks, farmers argue for a share of money dedicated to fighting climate changeDeveloping nations have a long list of changes their farmers need to make to adapt to a warming climate.
Read more »
Climate Doomer Harrison Ford Seen Disembarking Private Jet in LA After Promoting Climate Change ActivismSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Why the sun is not solely responsible for the rapid global warming occurring right nowThe sun may influence Earth's climate, but it is not causing climate change.
Read more »