Congressional Democrats introduce bill to address environmental hazards in prisons

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) have introduced legislation that would require federal prisons to report potential environmental health risks.

The bill, the Environmental Health in Prisons Act, would make it mandatory for the Federal Bureau of Prisons to disclose data on the prevalence of various environmental hazards within its facilities. This would include information on air and water quality as well as the presence of mold, contagious diseases or dangerously low or high temperatures.

In addition to the bureau's facilities, the law would apply to carceral facilities overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

NBC News first reported the introduction of the bill.

In a statement, Markey and Pressley noted that a total of 13 Midwestern and Southern states have no universal air conditioning requirements for prisons, and that thousands of Safe Drinking Water Act violations were logged within those facilities that have their own water systems between 2011 and 2021.

Pressley further noted that nearly 1 in 3 state and federal prisons are within a 3-mile radius of federal Superfund sites known to have at least one hazardous material. Outbreaks of COVID-19 were also far higher in prison settings than in the general population, which experts have attributed in large part to poor ventilation in those facilities.

“People who are incarcerated are no less deserving of having their dignity and humanity respected — and that includes clean air, water, and living environments,” Pressley said in a statement. “As we work to dismantle our shameful mass incarceration crisis, our bill would affirm the fundamental right to a safe and healthy environment for every person behind the wall.”

“As we work to reduce the number of people behind bars, we must also ensure that those currently incarcerated have access to clean air, water, and living environments, are treated with dignity and respect, and can live in conditions that aren’t dangerous and dehumanizing,” Markey said in a statement.

“Even short prison sentences can translate into lifelong punishment for returning citizens who are re-exposed to the toxic environments. This legislation would ensure incarcerated people can return to their communities as healthy, productive individuals with a new lease on life.”