Prison Ecology and Environmental Justice: Connections, Aberrations and Psychological Impacts

Giuseppe Manuel Festa##common.commaListSeparator##Iginio Sisto Lancia

This paper explores the intersection between prison ecology and environmental justice, highlighting how the prison system is an integral part of broader dynamics of environmental exploitation and social inequality. Prisons are often located in remote areas, on contaminated sites, or near polluting industries, and they themselves contribute to local environmental degradation, pollution processes, and territorial marginalization.

The article introduces the concept of prison ecology, which examines the relationship between prisons and nature, revealing the environmental issues that occur within and around correctional facilities, and their impact on both inmates and the surrounding physical environment. The prison environment significantly affects the health, well-being, and risk of recidivism among incarcerated individuals.

The quality of environmental conditions in penal institutions can be framed within the discourse of environmental justice, broadening the understanding of ecological injustices as forms of systemic violence. From this perspective, environmental factors such as overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate lighting, lack of access to green spaces, noise, unclean water, unhealthy air, and insufficient climate protection directly influence the safety and stability of prison institutions, as well as negatively impact inmates' mental and physical health.

This paper offers an overview of recent studies on this topic, identified through literature searches using Google Scholar and PubMed. The analysis of these studies suggests that an ecocritical perspective on prisons is valuable for designing truly effective practices of repair, care, and social transformation. It is crucial that prison environments be designed and managed not only to ensure security but also to promote both internal and external environmental sustainability.