Air Quality and Institutional Behavior: The Relationship between Air Pollution and Critical Incidents in State Prison

• In Event: Innovations in Correctional Research

Abstract

Short-term exposure to environmental toxins, including air pollution, has been linked to behavioral impacts such as aggression, emotional dysregulation, and heightened risk of hazardous incidents. However, the potential compounding effects of environmental pollutants within high-stress prison environments remain unexplored. This study examines the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants—including fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)—and the occurrence of critical incidents within a state prison system (e.g., assaults, self-inflicted injuries, use-of-force, and other emergency situations). The analysis combines daily incident reports from a single state prison system across over two dozen facilities with localized ambient air pollution data from NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Application Center (SEDAC) for 2008-2016. The findings can help inform both environmental and correctional policies aimed at reducing environmental stressors to improve quality of life for incarcerated populations and prison staff. Implications for criminological theory and environmental policy will be discussed.

Author

• Ileana Morales, University of Colorado Boulder