Associations Between Social Vulnerability to Disasters and Presence of Prisons in Appalachian Communities

Background: Prisons are replacing coal mines in Appalachia, perpetuating environmental degradation, pollution that contributes to anthropogenic climate change and resulting disasters, economic instability, and reduced community health. However, disaster vulnerability in communities surrounding prisons remains unknown. This cross-sectional observational study investigated social vulnerability to disasters in Appalachian communities with prisons. Methods: Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) factors were assessed in four themes: (A) socioeconomic status, (B) household characteristics, (C) racial/ethnic minority status, and (D) housing/transportation. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between SVI scores and presence of federal, state, or private prisons by census tract. Results: Every unit increase in overall SVI score was associated with a 30% increase in odds of prison presence (OR: 1.300; 95% CI: 1.175, 1.439). In a stratified analysis, themes A (OR: 1.355; 95% CI: 1.098, 1.672), C (OR: 8.619; 95% CI: 4.588, 16.189), and D (OR: 3.327; 95% CI: 2.539, 4.358) were also positively associated with prison presence. Theme B (OR: 0.583; 95% CI: 0.431, 0.787) was negatively associated with prison presence. Discussion: Higher social vulnerability to disasters was associated with increased odds for prison presence. SVI themes most strongly associated with prison presence were racial/ethnic minority status and housing/transportation. These findings build upon the growing body of environmental justice literature recognizing the importance of investigating the relationship between incarceration and disasters. Conclusions: This study found significant associations between social vulnerability to disasters and prison presence in Appalachia, which provides a foundation for further investigation of disaster vulnerability in communities surrounding prisons to improve disaster mitigation efforts.