CATEGORY 3 - Approaches for Addressing Climate Adaptation OPTION 7: Reallocate funding to expand heating, air conditioning, ventilation, shade structures, and backup generators. Option seven would require CDCR to address its infrastructure vulnerability by reallocating funding from its existing budget to improve heating, air conditioning, ventilation, shade structures, and backup generators. Infrastructure changes were commonly recommended by our survey respondents and interviewees, and can mitigate the health effects of climate hazards on currently incarcerated people. To ensure that the funding used for infrastructure changes comes from either existing infrastructure funding or funding from prison closures, this option also requires CDCR to produce the following information: CDCR must publicly release its prison closure plan before investing in infrastructure improvements. This will ensure CDCR does not fund and complete large-scale infrastructure projects at prisons that will be closed by 2025.142 This prison closure plan must also include projected savings from prison closures so savings can be reallocated towards infrastructure improvements in existing prisons. CDCR must also create an infrastructure prioritization plan. The plan would identify projects with the most significant impacts on the health and wellness of incarcerated people during a climate hazard. Like the prison closure plan, the infrastructure plan would have to be public to maintain oversight.
Evaluation of Option 7 HEALTH & WELLNESS OF INCARCERATED PEOPLE
DIVEST & REINVEST
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
POLITICAL FEASIBILITY
YES
NO
YES
YES