A new Duke University School of Medicine study reveals how climate disasters intensify the already harsh conditions faced by people who are incarcerated.
Published in the journal, SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, the researchers examined how climate disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and extreme heat, uniquely impact individuals who are incarcerated, especially in settings lacking basic protections.
Researchers conducted semi‑structured interviews with 18 individuals using syringe exchange services in Houston, Texas, a region repeatedly hit by hurricanes. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed through rapid qualitative methods, an action-oriented approach used when findings are quickly needed to inform policy.
In the study, coauthored by Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences, nearly all participants described having direct experience with climate disasters while behind bars, often under dangerous and degrading conditions. They reported being held in cells without power or potable water, crowded into small spaces, and housed in facilities that lacked adequate temperature control — factors that made extreme heat, cold, and flooding even more hazardous. Facility infrastructure, including partially underground buildings, further intensified the risks.
“What we found was that most people who were incarcerated had been there for at least one climate disaster,” Brinkley-Rubinstein said. “Essentially, it's very common to have some type of climate events occur during incarceration. And the conditions of confinement exacerbated the impact of the disasters.”
Interviewees also described relying on peer networks for survival during disasters.
“I had people tell me that their cell was flooding, and they had to rely on themselves,” Brinkley-Rubinstein said. “There was this self-reliance that was the only survival tool that was going to get them through the moment, and honestly a fair amount of brilliance and outside-the-box thinking.”
After release, many individuals faced additional challenges, including housing instability, financial strain, and disruption to work, that made them especially vulnerable during future disasters.
Brinkley‑Rubinstein says these findings underscore the need for emergency planning that includes incarcerated populations.
“Overall, hurricanes and other disasters imposed additional trauma on individuals living in stressful, unpredictable environments,” Brinkley‑Rubinstein and the other authors wrote. “Work at the intersection of the criminal legal system and health must consider how the climate crisis affects this relationship.”