INTRODUCTION

"We feel hopeless and understand [that] if anything happens, we are out of luck. We witness[ed] it during the Covid19, when [Correctional Officers] just lock themself in the office and keep us locked down. We’ve seen how chaos would work in here, and [it’s] not in our best interest.”

Juan Moreno Haines is an incarcerated journalist at San Quentin State Prison and one of nearly 100,000 people incarcerated in the State of California. He recently wrote in an op-ed, “Climate change isn’t arriving, it’s already happening. Those warnings have sounded for years. But for the 2.3 million of us in [U.S.] prisons and jails, the impacts are more severe as we face overcrowded and architecturally flawed housing units that jeopardize our health and wellbeing ”

Much of the discourse on climate change and the resulting climate hazards focuses on impacts on those in the free world; very little research has been done, however, on how we can keep those who are incarcerated, some of the most vulnerable people to the effects of climate change, safe. Our report seeks to uplift the voices and experiences of people incarcerated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and provide policy solutions that ensure their health and wellness is at the core of any response to climate hazards in California state prisons.

As Juan Moreno Haines wrote, climate change is already here. Over the last decade, the Golden State has experienced a number of climate hazards, or events that can cause harm to human health and the natural environment.

Some of these climate hazards are outlined below.

Eight of the ten warmest years on record occurred between 2012 and 2022

In August 2020, the LNU Lightning Complex Fire hit Northern California, burning 192,000 acres, killing 6 people, and destroying 1,491 buildings. At the time of containment, the fire was the fourth-largest wildfire in California’s history.

During the 2020 wildfire season, smoke plumes were seen in every county in California for at least 46 days.

The 2022 10-day summer heat wave was the longest and worst heat wave ever recorded in the state’s history. During this heat wave, temperatures surged to 125 degrees fahrenheit in Death Valley while temperatures in cities with historically mild climates, such as San Francisco, surpassed 100 degrees.

In January 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of

This series of climate hazards have made several policy issues more evident. First, as climate change intensifies, California will experience more frequent extreme weather and climate hazards, including extreme heat and cold, wildfires, and floods. Second, climate hazards will have the greatest impact on already vulnerable populations, including people with underlying health conditions and minimal financial resources. Lastly, state and local agencies are significantly unprepared to respond to climate hazards in and near prisons.

We can no longer view these hazards as one-off incidents but part of a larger story of climate change. It is time for the California state government to put a plan in place to keep some of our most vulnerable community members safe during climate hazards.

Our report seeks to:

Understand the risks that incarcerated people in California state prisons face as climate change related hazards such as wildfires, floods, and extreme temperatures, accelerate.

Put forth policy solutions that protect taxpayer interests, keep incarcerated people safe, and ensure our government institutions are held accountable.